Travels in Nova Scotia in the Year Nineteen Thirteen 

Being a full, free and Authentic Record of Perilous Adventures and Marvelous 
Escapes along the Deep Indentations and Rocky Points of the Atlantic Coast of 
Western Nova Scotia. Made during the rain of his Most Ungracious Majesty, 
Jupiter Pluvius I. And including the Personal observations, views and deductions 
of a Traveler, seemingly well versed in the art of placing one Foot before the 
other. Read and Learn what his Travel hath brought forth. 
















A wind’s in the heart of me, a fire’s in my heels, 

I am tired of brick and stone and rumbling wagon wheels; 
1 hunger for the sea’s edge, the limits of the land, 

Where the wild old Atlantic is shouting on the sand. 

Masefield. 



PRESENTED BY 







-V 



Jj 







Travels in Nova Scotia in 
the Year 1913 


Containing Much That Is Curious Concerning the 
Manners and Customs of the People :: The Stories 
and Legends of the Southern Shore and Including 
Short Excursions Into the History of the Country 


BY 

CHARLES GILBERT HINE 

>» 


13 


HINE’S ANNUAL 
1913 



FT to 3? 
» H bb 


Gift 

Author 

(Ter to*) 

JAN 20 ibi 5 , 





PREFACE. 


Nova Scotia was a sudden inspiration, induced by the 
enthusiasm of a friend who had enjoyed a recent vacation 
here, and after some correspondence with Nova Scotians 
who knew their country, I selected the coast line between 
Yarmouth and Halifax. 

The afternoon of October 12, 1913, saw me venturing 
forth from Boston on the Governor Cobb. The day had 
been given over to much rain, but ran dry late in the after¬ 
noon, and my hopes revived, though the evening started 
somewhat unprofitably with the moon tucked away in the 
attic of cloudland. And the following morning Jupiter 
Pluvius helped matters distressfully, having refilled his 
tanks over night. 

It is a simple thing to reach Nova Scotia from New 
York as I went, and not expensive: Fall River Line to 
Boston, Yarmouth Line to Yarmouth. A two weeks’ trip 
can easily be made for $75 or less. 

My adventure started as a walking trip along the coast 
line, but quickly resolved itself into a series of short walks 
punctuated with railroad rides. Away from the coast all 
roads are wood roads, bordered by spruces or other ever¬ 
greens, picked out here and there at this season of the 
year with a bit of vivid color where the frost has touched 
the scrub maple or oak or an occasional white birch. The 



4 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


shadows are deep and rich and cool, and the odors from 
pine and hemlock a delicate perfume that is a constant joy, 
but there is little variety in the outlook, as the woods 
usually close in on both sides and, while by no means un¬ 
attractive, the chief interest and beauty lie along the shore 
—hence the variegated method of my travel. 

If I grumble now and then let no one take it too seri¬ 
ously. Possibly I was tired or hungry, or both—that al¬ 
ways makes me cross—and then the weather can easily 
account for some of my flings, for it was anything but 
charming a goodly part of the time, wet and close—very 
close. I larded the lean earth much of the way as even 
Falstaff might envy. The east wind which held day after 
day brought many clouds and high fogs which, with a 
slender mist that filled the air at times, assisted in making 
many exquisite pictures that the camera did its best to 
take advantage of, though many times with indifferent 
success. The east wind also meant unsettled weather, but 
of persistent rain there was little after the first day. 

Of the towns which I saw Lockport particularly com¬ 
mended itself, though Shelburne carries a quaint air of 
having once been, which could easily make the visitor 
love it. Liverpool and Lunenburg also set out attrac¬ 
tions of their own, but it was the villages and little 
wayside stopping places that were the chief delight, such 
as Port Latour, Port Mouton, Hunts Point, Port Medway, 
Petite Eiviere and the wonderful stretches of Dublin Shore 
and Western Shore. I speak only of those I saw. 

In 1767 Lord William Campbell wrote that Nova 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 5 


Scotia has “more ports of safety for ships of any burthen 
than any other province of America, and almost at the 
entrance of these, inexhaustible mines of fish, which furnish 
all Europe with that commodity, and ought to be the first 
nursery of seamen to supply, as occasion may require, the 
British navy.” In fact this southern coast is almost as 
regularly notched with bays and inlets as is the deep¬ 
toothed timber saw. 

Many of the smaller hotels give no outward indication 
that they are such, but, when found, are apt to prove more 
inviting than those of nobler bulk. Here, if one is damp, 
he may adjourn to the kitchen and hang his coat near the 
fire, talk to the cook (who is usually the landlady or a 
daughter of the house), and eat in his shirt sleeves if so 
minded. A nice, friendly lot they are—good, honest peo¬ 
ple, to whom it is a pleasure to be obliging. The only ex¬ 
ception I met was at Pubnico, where the landlady tried to 
bite my head off, but I adopted General Washington’s fa¬ 
mous Fabian policy and came out with a full stomach and 
serene conscience, but I still feel sorry for her old man. 

At this season there is much talk of moose and moose 
hunting. Listen a moment to any group in hotel or on 
street corner and one is reasonably sure to learn how im¬ 
possible it was for any man to have made a successful shot 
under the circumstances, or what a wonderfully clever shot 
it really was. The result guides the conversation. 

Everywhere I found pleasant, kindly people, and came 
to the conclusion that the Nova Scotia coat of arms should 
consist of a smiling face and welcoming hand. 





6 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


One particularly commendable feature of the country 
from the point of view of the man on foot is the scarcity 
of automobiles. They do have them, but they are few and 
far between. Outside of Yarmouth and Halifax I did not 
see one during my two weeks ’ exploration. It is no trouble 
to dodge an ox cart, and one is never surprised into a sud¬ 
den dash for the brush by an unexpected toot in the rear. 

The roads are good dirt roads and, so far as my ob¬ 
servation went, never deeply rutted, but I presume they 
are not what an automobile enthusiast would regard as 
even fair, and it is probable that there will be no change 
so long as the ox is universally used for hauling, as his 
feet with their thin shoes would hardly stand the unelastic 
stone road. 

“Acadia” is spelled in different ways. I do not cling 
to any one spelling, but have rather endeavored to follow 
the spelling used at the time which happens to be under 
discussion in the narrative. 

Samuel de Champlain has described the coast of my 
travels, but begins at Lahave and works west, and as I 
was bound to the east’ard he cannot well be followed 
through the course of the narrative; so, as his description 
is interesting, it is included here. He says:— 

“Cape de la Here, is a place where there is a bay, 
where are several islands covered with fir trees, and the 
main land with oaks, elms and birches. It is on the shore 
of Acadie. * * * Seven leagues from this, is another 

called le Port au mouton, where are two small rivers. The 
land is very stony, covered with underwood and bushes. 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 7 


There is a quantity of rabbits and much game on account 
of the ponds there. Going along the coast there is also a 
harbor very good for vessels, and the head of it a little 
river which runs from a distance inland, which I named 
the port of cape Negre, on account of a rock which at a 
distance resembles one, which is raised above the water 
near a cape that we passed the same day, four leagues 
from it and ten to port au mouton. This cape is very dan¬ 
gerous on account of the rocks around it. The coasts thus 
far are very low, covered with the same kind of wood as 
cape de la Heve, and the islands all full of game. Going 
further on we passed a night in Sable bay where vessels 
can lie at anchor without any fear of danger. Cape Sable, 
distant two full leagues from Sable bay, is also very dan¬ 
gerous for certain rocks and reefs lying out a mile almost 
to sea. Thence one goes on the isle aux cormorants, a 
league distant, so called on account of the infinite num¬ 
ber there of these birds, with whose eggs we filled a cask, 
and from this island making westwardly about six leagues, 
crossing a bay which runs in two or three leagues to the 
northward, we meet several islands, two or three leagues 
to sea, which may contain some two others three leagues 
and others less according to my judgment. They are 
mostly very dangerous for large vessels to come close to 
on account of the great tides and rocks level with the 
water. These islands are filled with pine trees, firs, 
birches and aspens. A little further on are four others. 
In one there is so great a quantity of birds called tangueux, 
that they may be easily knocked down with a stick. In 





8 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


another there are seals. In two others there is snch an 
abundance of birds of different kinds, that without having 
seen them could not be imagined, such as cormorants, 
ducks of three kinds, geese, marmettes, bustards, perro- 
quets de mer, snipes, vultures, and other birds of prey, 
mauves, sea larks of two or three kinds, herons, goillants, 
curlews, sea gulls, divers, kites, appoils, crows, cranes, and 
other sorts, which make their nests there. I gave them the 
name of the Seal islands. They are distant from the main 
land or cape Sable four or five leagues. Thence we go on 
to a cape which I called the port Fourchu (Forked harbor) 
inasmuch as its figure is so, being five or six leagues dis¬ 
tant from Seal islands. This harbor (Yarmouth?) is very 
good for vessels in its entrance but further up it is almost 
all dry at low tide with the exception of the course of a 
small river, all surrounded by meadows which renders the 
place very agreeable.’ 9 

Champlain again describes the coast from Lahave east¬ 
ward :— 

“From leaving cape de la Heve until you reach Sesam- 
bre (Sambro), which is an island so called by some Mal- 
louins, fifteen leagues distant from La Heve, there are to 
be found on the way a quantity of islands, which we have 
named “the Martyrs’’ on account of some Frenchmen 
killed by the Indians. These islands are in general cul de 
sacs and bays, in one of which there is a river called Sainte 
Margueritte, seven leagues distant from Sesambre. The 
islands and shores are full of pines, firs, birches, and other 
inferior timber. The catch of fish there is abundant, and 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 9 


so is the quantity of birds. From Sesambre we passed a 
very safe bay (Chebucto?), containing seven or eight 
leagues, where there are no islands in the route except at 
the head of it, where there is a small river.’’ 





10 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


YARMOUTH TO BARRINGTON. 

I have a very proper cousin in the West who, when it 
was announced to a waiting world that my precious person 
was to be intrusted to the great deep, hastily sent on the 
following incident in the life of one who had preceded me: 

The facts in the case were about as follows—Mr. Smith 
was to make his first trip abroad and, having heard much 
concerning that grievous malady of the sea which is usually 
a matter for ribald jest on the part of those kind friends 
not afflicted, he concluded to consult a physician. This 
learned gentleman advised that, “For a few days before 
setting out, eat heartily of everything you enjoy; eat 
abundantly. ’ f This did not quite agree with his precon¬ 
ceived notions, and he concluded to see another doctor, who 
advised, “For a few days before you go eat sparingly, al¬ 
most starve yourself.’’ Wholly at sea now, he called in a 
third man of medicine, who stated, “Both are right; it 
depends entirely on whether you wish to discard from 
strength or weakness.” I went to neither extreme myself 
and, the sea being calm, suffered no harm. 

The only real fault I have to find with this trip is that 
too much was attempted. Yarmouth to Halifax does not 
look like a great distance on the map, and consequently I 
looked up the story of that section, to discover so many 
items of interest strewn along the deep indentations of this 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 11 


rugged coast that it seemed highly improper to allow any 
to pass by unobserved. But while a straight line between 
the two points is not appalling, to follow the coast line is 
much like attempting a trip from the Hudson at Forty- 
second street to the opposite point on the East River by 
way of the Battery. 

I doubt the wisdom of one in my frame of mind spend¬ 
ing an entire day in one town—it was the open road that 
beckoned. But a day had been set apart for Yarmouth, 
and as this particular one was never intended for such a 
pleasure exertion as mine, owing to its moist condition, it 
seems probable that I had planned better than I knew. 

The history of Yarmouth appears to have been rather 
uneventful, but the public library contains an interesting 
relic of prehistoric times in a runic stone discovered on 
the west side of the harbor about 1815 by a Doctor 
Fletcher, and which the antiquarians after much labor 
have translated as “Harko’s son addressed the men.” 
The records show that in 1007 the Norsemen made an ex¬ 
pedition along this coast, and one Harki is mentioned 
therein, and this and a somewhat similar stone found in 
the same general locality in 1897 are supposed to com¬ 
memorate some important event of that trip. Nothing 
more is known. The stones when discovered were lying 
face down in the mud; but for this the action of the ele¬ 
ments would have effaced the lettering during the nine 
hundred years that have passed since the work was done. 

I called on J. Bond Gray, Secretary of the Tourist Com¬ 
mittee of the Yarmouth Board of Trade, with whom some 





12 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


previous correspondence had been held, and on his advice 
covered the first nineteen miles, to Argyle, by rail. Mr. 
Gray was courteous and pleasant, but in this he but fol¬ 
lows the custom of the land where courtesy is as much a 
matter of course as is the glacial boulder. While on this 
subject I cannot overlook A. L. Nickerson, station agent. 
I unfolded to him my great and consuming desire for a 
timetable, as I expected to fall back on the railroad with 
more or less frequency. He had none, but appreciating the 
situation, said he would do what he could, and during the 
day he telegraphed to headquarters in the expectation of 
receiving a copy. That he was not successful was no fault 
of his, and as a last resort he made a suggestion that en¬ 
abled me to secure a copy at another point. This proved 
to be the almost universal spirit of the people throughout 
the excursion. 

The walking actually began on October 14th. The rain 
had made desperate efforts during the greater part of the 
preceding night to wash Nova Scotia off the map, and when 
I alighted from the train at Argyle at 7:54, the morning 
was still highly charged with moisture. To the great won¬ 
derment of a gentleman who was spending a quiet hour 
with the depot stove I harnessed up and, throwing a rub¬ 
ber cape over my shoulders, set forth. 

Once out in the storm the experience was more than 
pleasant. The smell of the fresh dampness was delicious, 
and there was a certain exclusiveness in having the highway 
all to one’s self that was far from unattractive, while the 




LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 13 


cleansing which the wayside foliage had undergone made 
even the frost-bitten ferns a rich, warm brown. 

Of the entire distance to Pubnico, ten miles, the spot 
that best pleased my eye is to be located by the first church 
steeple after leaving the Argyle station. The small settle¬ 
ment lies close upon the water at the head of an inlet filled 
with beautiful little islands. But all the way through 
Lower Argyle the eye is filled with Argyle Sound and its 
many islets. 

By 10:30 the drizzle was drizzling less and less, and at 
one time it seemed as though the sun might get the better 
of the situation. A short walk through what had once been 
woods, but now is little better than waste land, brought 
me to Pubnico and the head of Pubnico Harbor. By this 
time my rubber cape had been shed, when the discovery 
was made that it was more in the nature of a sieve, as it 
was quite as wet inside as out, and that damp feeling which 
I had supposed was honest sweat turned out to be nothing 
but rainwater. It was quite as penetratingly wet, however. 

Pubnico claims to be the oldest Acadian settlement in 
Nova Scotia, having been planted by D’Entrement in 1650. 
After the expulsion some of the exiles returned, and the 
region is still peopled by their descendants, it being com¬ 
monly known as the “French Shored y The houses give no 
indication of age, and there is no outward sign to suggest 
an old-settled place. Here, as elsewhere, I saw no indica¬ 
tions of extreme poverty; the farms are of little value, but 
the fisheries supply every need. The various nationalities 
do not mix and disappear in this land as with us. While 





14 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


all speak the English language the French are still French; 
the Germans, German and the Scotch, Scotch. This is so 
even where several generations have been born here. 

I presented myself at Goodwin’s Hotel, Pubnico, about 
11:30 a. m., and found the lady of the house as cross as two 
sticks; if it was dinner that was wanted it would be ready 
at 12:30, and I could wait for it. Could I have some bread 
and milk? No! it took time to get it. She was as sour an 
old party as has crossed my path in many a day, and my 
heart goes out to any who may fall under her spell. 

However, the intervening hour gave an opportunity to 
drape myself and clothes around the parlor stove, and as I 
discovered a local history, the time was not counted lost. 

As I took up the task of searching out East Pubnico 
there were to be seen hints of blue in the upper regions of 
the air, and it looked as though something better was in 
store for the afternoon. Shortly the camera came on an 
ox cart and two boys, and we stopped to get acquainted. 
It turned out that their motive power was known as 
“Spark,” and there seems to be no doubt but that he is 
the live wire of the region, as I was reliably informed that 
he can make three miles an hour under favoring conditions. 

At East Pubnico two ways were open: one through the 
nine mile woods, the other around the shore, some twenty- 
two miles, and as time was an object and my sailing direc¬ 
tions did not show any stories connected with this portion 
of the shore, I picked the former. It proved to be nine 
miles without a house or clearing, or even a crossroad-—one 
ox team, one light wagon, one bunch of stray cattle and a 






LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 15 


few partridges composed all the life I saw. It was a 
rather desolate region, some large burned tracts, but most 
of it given over to brush and small trees, with an occasional 
lake in the distance. It is said that deer are common along 
this road and moose occasional, but I did not have the good 
fortune to see any. 

For a pair of antiquated and out-of-practice legs such 
as I had with me, nine miles added to an earlier thirteen, 
began to appear like something of an undertaking as the 
afternoon wore on, and I communed with myself as to just 
why my running gear was being pushed at such a furious 
pace, and this a holiday, but did not learn much of interest 
except that there I was and thence I must. 

Some time later my knees began to squeak and a warm 
spot appeared on a little toe, but just at this juncture a 
house swung into view and I knew Oak Park was nigh. 

It w^as heartrending to learn that they did not and 
would not take boarders, and that the only man who did 
in those parts lived a half mile further on. No amount of 
looking pleasant had the least effect, and I must com¬ 
promise on a glass of water, which my dry and withered 
interior sadly needed. Testing my knees gently and find¬ 
ing that they would bend without breaking, and that my 
feet could be lifted and pushed forward if care w r ere ex¬ 
ercised, the journey was again taken up; but why linger 
further on the sad scene? 

Mr. Charles M. Crowell was counting his chickens when 
I arrived. He did not know whether I could stay the night 
or not; the old woman had the say on such subjects, and she 





16 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


had gone to see a sister. I said that I would go in and sit 
down to wait. The kitchen seemed the warm spot, and I 
snuggled up to the stove and was having a nice, comfortable 
time when my host dropped in and remarked that there 
was no fire in the stove. However, if I wanted one, it was 
no trouble, and soon there was a roaring blaze and I began 
to steam. When one has been sweating for hours it is a 
great comfort to sit close by a fire as the cool of evening 
comes on, although it seems quite evident that a good 
imagination can be a wonderful aid to comfort. As the 
poet has said: “There is nothing either good or bad, but 
thinking makes it so. ’’ 

Seven o’clock came and went and the better half of 
the Crowell family was still absent. I had in the mean¬ 
time become intimate with two ginger cookies which, hav¬ 
ing been overbrowned in the making, were left on the 
kitchen table, but felt that a hard worker like myself could 
not live on ginger cookies alone, at least not on two, and 
made no attempt to disguise my joy when my hospitable 
friend supposed I would like something to eat. He made 
tea and gathered up various cold fragments of pie and 
cookies, bread and apple sauce, and we did very well. 

The missis came along about nine o’clock, and shortly 
thereafter I was dreaming that little devils were twisting 
my legs off. 

When it was time to depart on the following morning 
Mrs. Crowell thought that fifty cents would be sufficient as 
the meals had not been very substantial, which was true 
enough, but the room was clean and my host and hostess 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 17 


were kindly people, and so far as I was able to judge the 
food was sustaining. 

The two and one-half miles into Barrington were with¬ 
out incident, except for a strange bird that crossed my 
path. It was not a partridge, nor was it any ordinary 
escape from the barnyard. It stood as though its usual 
occupation was looking for berries rather than worms, and 
walked with a dignity that the domestic hen never pos¬ 
sessed. 

It is claimed for the old meeting house in Barrington 
(1765) that it is the only church in Canada of its age that 
has been retained in its original form inside and out; 
others that remain have been altered and built over until 
little or nothing is left of the original. This only escaped 
destruction by a narrow margin, as some time in the 
eighties the Legislature decreed that the building should 
be demolished, owing to its dangerous condition. But lo¬ 
cal pride came to its aid at the last moment, and by the 
application of two or three hundred dollars where most 
needed, it was put in good repair, and at the present time 
two denominations worship every Sunday within its old 
fashioned box pews. 

Some eighty families from Nantucket and Cape Cod 
emigrated to this place between the years 1761 to 1763; 
about half remained to form a permanent settlement. 
Work was probably commenced on the church shortly af¬ 
ter, as by 1765 the building was finished and dedicated. 
With the first settlers came Samuel Wood, a Congrega¬ 
tional pastor. He held services here and at other points 





18 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


along the shore as far as Yarmouth, but when the Revolu¬ 
tion broke out, returned to his former home and became a 
chaplain in the American army. 

In the meantime, about 1770, the New York Methodist 
Conference sent Freeborn Garretson to this region to 
proselyte. He was received but coldly, however, though 
permitted to preach in the meeting house. He failed en¬ 
tirely to win any converts to his cause, and finally with¬ 
drew to the woods to commune with his Maker. While 
offering up his supplications for light and guidance he 
was overheard by some of the people, and these, spreading 
the report abroad, aroused much curiosity which led to a 
considerable attendance when a second meeting was held. 
It does not appear, however, that any were deeply im¬ 
pressed. 

After those attending the meeting had returned to 
their homes a Mrs. Homer asked her less hospitable half 
where the minister was stopping, and on being informed 
that he did not know, she took a lantern and went forth to 
seek him. Either through thoughtlessness, or because 
none was quite brave enough to take this expounder of a 
strange religion to his home, Mrs. Homer found him at 
the meeting house in the act of spreading his surtout on the 
floor for a couch. The good lady brought him to her home 
and later became his first convert. 

All this I have from one who evidently takes a great 
interest in the church, but whose name has fallen out of 
its proper brain cell and been lost. 

Other annals have I none. 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 19 


At Barrington I made my home at a large square house 
just east of the livery stable, rather than at the hotel. The 
place was clean *and the meals were good; the hot muffins 
were worthy of a poet’s pen. The house was full, chiefly of 
commercial men, which would seem to indicate what they 
thought of the situation. 

I was given the last vacant room, but there came one 
after me also seeking lodging, whereupon the landlady 
turned to me with the remark that I was his only hope, as 
there were two beds in my room. I did as I would have had 
him do had the situation been reversed, and found no oc¬ 
casion for regret. He was a very earnest gentleman, and 
amusing withal, much given to conversation not wholly in¬ 
structive, though I did learn that silk socks were better for 
tired feet than is the more plebian cotton article. I was 
so unfortunate as not to secure my companion’s name, but 
ascertained that when not devoting his time to greatly in¬ 
creasing the fortunes of the firm for which he traveled he 
resides on the farm of his mother in Yarmouth. 





20 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


PORT LATOUR AND BURCHTOWN. 

Even this early I clearly saw that to walk all the coast 
line between Yarmouth and Halifax could not be done at 
my leisurely three miles or less per hour. It is three miles 
when no pictures intervene or no friendly Nova Scotian 
comes along with a ghost story or tale of the seas: Under 
such circumstances time is not of the essence of the con¬ 
tract. 

It was necessary to visit Port Latour, as here were the 
ruins of an old fort to be photographed, and when I saw 
“Livery Stable” writ large across a Barrington barn, 
there came the thought that this was a Heaven sent oppor¬ 
tunity to economize time, the twenty miles to Port Latour 
and back could be more easily accomplished and abundant 
time remain for the visit. But no one was about the stable. 
A call on a neighboring house elicited the information that 
the livery man was driving a commercial individual to some 
far hamlet, while his chief and only understudy was em¬ 
ployed in like manner in another direction. Finally a man 
was found on the road who thought he could harness the 
one horse left, but when it came to a conveyance he hesi¬ 
tated. Of the two on hand one was new and undefiled, the 
other freshly painted, so he suggested that I take his open 
wagon, as mud could not harm it, and the horse was led 
to his barn, where the operation of hitching up was com- 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 21 


pleted. No credentials on my part appeared to be neces¬ 
sary, not even my name was asked, nor did I ask the price 
until evening came, when I learned that the charge was 
$1.50 for the day. 

The road follows the shore of Barrington Bay as far 
as Villagedale (formerly Solid Rock), then crosses to the 
eastern side of the point where reposes Port Latour. The 
morning was full of sunshine, the spruces and hemlocks 
made strong shadows against the high lights of the sun 
illumined landscape, while many pleasant views over Bar¬ 
rington Bay charmed the hours away. 

Solid Rock (not the village, but the rock) is possibly 
two-thirds of the ten miles to Port Latour, and must be 
inquired for to be found, as the spot lies on the shore a 
quarter mile from the road and across a farm. It is 
merely a group of unusually large granite boulders against 
which the waves break, the surroundings are extremely 
beautiful and a rugged lane that covers part of the distance 
is captivating in its primitive simplicity. In itself it was 
worth the entire trip. Words would be a mere catalogue 
of its component parts; they cannot describe it as it ap¬ 
peared on that brilliant afternoon when the depths of the 
hemlock shadows were almost black. 

My acquaintance with the Latour House is confined to 
a dinner, and I know not what the rooms are like. But I 
know what the people are like and that, with the dinner to 
back them, is enough. William B. Crowell, the proprietor, 
unharnessed my horse, put him in the stable and gave him 
a feed of hay, and when I wished to return walked a long 





22 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


quarter mile from his boatshop to harness up, and all he 
wanted was ten cents for the hay. I only had five cents and 
a quarter; he had no change, and positively refusing the 
quarter, accepted the smaller coin perfectly satisfied that 
he had done the proper thing, and his wife who runs the 
house may still be his better half. Her chicken dinner was 
good right down to the last mouthful, the charge was but 
thirty-five cents, and I could not force a half dollar on her. 

A pleasant, friendly, unmercenary spirit seems to be 
the usual thing throughout this coast region of Nova 
Scotia, 

This village is charmingly simple, inhabited by a race 
of sailormen with whom it is not difficult to become ac¬ 
quainted, the Atlantic coast is at the door, and I have no 
doubt but that a week here would pass as a puff of steam 
on a dry day. 

Now for our history. Claude Turgis de Sainte Etienne, 
Sieur de la Tour and his son Charles de la Tour left France 
in 1606, when the son was fourteen years of age, to mend 
their fortunes in the new world. After one Argal ravaged 
these coasts in 1613 and destroyed the French settlements, 
Charles attached himself to one Biencourt and lived with 
him among the Indians. Biencourt, when dying, be¬ 
queathed to Charles his rights in Port Royal (now An¬ 
napolis), and named him as successor in command. This 
is 1623. 

During the next four years Charles lived in Fort Saint 
Louis at Cape Sable on a harbor called Port Lomeron (or 
L’Omeroy), now Port Latour. About 1625-6 Charles wrote 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 23 


to Louis XIII., asking to be appointed commandant in all 
the coasts of Acadie. This letter was intrusted to the 
father, Claude, who started for France, but on the way 
was captured and carried to England. Claude was a 
Huguenot, and in London met others of like faith. These 
persuaded him to renounce France and take up the cause 
of England. He married an English woman, was made a 
Baronet of Nova Scotia, receiving a like honor for his son, 
and engaged to deliver to England Fort Saint Louis, then 
being held by Charles for France. With this object in view 
two men-of-war were fitted out for him, and with his wife 
he turned his face toward the new world once more. 

Arriving (1627) Claude landed and presented his case 
to the son in the full assurance that the latter would 
promptly accept the situation and the new honors which 
would flow therefrom, but Charles seems to have been only 
half La Tour, the other half, much the better, probably 
represented his mother, and he confounded his father with 
the following me]odramatic effusion:— 

“If those who sent you on this errand think me capable 
of betraying my country, even at the solicitation of a 
parent, they have greatly mistaken me. I am not disposed 
to purchase the honors now offered me by committing a 
crime. I do not undervalue the proffer of the King of 
England; but the Prince in whose service I am is quite 
able to reward me; and whether he does so or not, the in¬ 
ward consciousness of my fidelity to him will be in itself 
a recompense to me. The King of France has confided the 





24 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


defense of this place to me. I shall maintain it, if attacked, 
till my latest breath . 9 9 

Claude then threatened the obstinate boy and finally 
attacked the fort, but Charles defended his post with such 
success that the English commanding officer, who had not 
counted on resistance, having lost several of his best 
soldiers, informed Claude that he would abandon the siege. 

William E. Smith of Port Latour, whose ancestors have 
dwelt here for many generations, told me that an older 
member of the family who died some years ago, and who 
knew much of the early history of the region, had stated 
that Claude La Tour at first attacked the fort from his 
ships, and being unsuccessful in this, sailed around into 
Barrington Bay, where he landed his men at or near Solid 
Rock, and marched them across to attack the fort in the 
rear. 

A small, swampy strip immediately north of the fort is 
said to have been caused by the digging of a trench in which 
those who fell in the battle were buried. 

Claude was placed in a most embarrassing position. 
He could not well return to England, much less to France. 
He had no money or men, and the only course left to him 
was to appeal to his son’s clemency. He presented the 
situation to his wife and suggested that she return to Eng¬ 
land, but she preferred to accept what might come to her 
husband. Claude then applied to his son for permission to 
live in Acadie, which appears to have been readily granted, 
but it was stipulated that neither he nor his wife were to 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 25 


come into the fort, though Charles gave his word that nei¬ 
ther should want for anything. 

The terms were hard, but there was no alternative and, 
with the permission of the English commander, Claude and 
his wife and servants disembarked with all their belongings 
and the two vessels returned to England. Charles caused 
a suitable house to be erected at some distance from the fort 
and took care of their maintenance. M. Denys relates that 
he found them there in 1635, and that they were well off. 

The story seems to have been patched together from 
several accounts of the settlements along this coast which 
differ in some details. One account states that after the 
battle Claude sailed to Port Royal and came back later at 
the invitation of Charles, who hoped to persuade his fa¬ 
ther to break his alliance with England and tell what he 
knew of the condition of the English. And, having now 
no great expectations from his adopted country, Claude 
accepted the invitation and told Charles that the English 
were preparing to capture his fort. On this the La Tours 
and other Frenchmen took council among themselves and 
decided to form a settlement at the mouth of the St. John 
River, Claude to command there and Charles to continue at 
his old post. 

At the time of the expulsion, 1755, the fort was de¬ 
stroyed and the village wiped out. And to-day nothing re¬ 
mains but a few grass grown mounds. These have been 
excavated to some extent, but nothing was found beyond 
a few clay pipes and other matters of small moment. Those 





26 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


of the Acadians who wandered back after the expulsion are 
said to have established themselves in Pubnico. 

That my time should be used to the best advantage, a 
train was taken at Barrington for Burchtown, originally a 
settlement of colored people who escaped into the English 
lines in New York during the Revolution. This lies some 
seven miles west of Shelburne; these miles are chiefly 
through woods, much of which has been desolated by forest 
fires, and looks as forlorn as a tramp attempting to shut 
out the winter winds with a covering of newspapers. It 
was a pleasant change to come out on the Roseway River, 
even though this meant sawmills, which are eating the 
heart out of the woodlands. 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 27 


SHELBURNE AND THE ROAD TO EAST JORDAN. 

Shelburne has a history that is peculiarly interesting 
to the people of the United States, as it was settled by 
Loyalist refugees immediately after the Revolutionary 
War. 

Colonel Alexander McNutt about 1765 secured a grant 
of land at Port Razoir, and arrived from Ireland with 
about three hundred settlers. He called the place New 
Jerusalem, but Colonel McNutt seems to have been an ob¬ 
streperous gentleman and his little settlement was in al¬ 
most constant hot water, and within a short time boiled 
down to a small residuum. 

In the year 1782 one hundred heads of families in New 
York, sympathizers with the English cause, bound them¬ 
selves to settle in Nova Scotia. These were led to believe 
that the city which they were to establish would become 
the capital of the Province, and many men of wealth and 
position were among them. All were respectable; no 
family was admitted unless some member could vouch for 
its good reputation. Within a year four hundred and sev¬ 
enty heads of families had signed and on May 4, 1783, 
eighteen brigs and many schooners dropped anchor off New 
Jerusalem and landed five thousand persons. 

On July 20th Governor Parr arrived at the new set¬ 
tlement and, having landed, proceeded up King street to 





28 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


the place appointed for his reception. This may have been 
what is now known as the “Governor’s House,” as it is 
said to be so called because some Governor made a speech 
from its steps. Here he made a short address in which he 
signified his intention of calling the place Shelburne. On 
the 23d he dined in the house of Justice Robertson with 
the principal inhabitants. 

About September a second hegira of Loyalists arrived 
from New York. Many of these were undesirable char¬ 
acters who lowered the tone of the place greatly. Others 
followed, and within a short time there were sixteen thou¬ 
sand inhabitants settled here, nine thousand of which 
drew government rations. At the end of four years the 
government rations ceased, and as the place could not sup¬ 
port so many, it began to dwindle. In 1798 a storm which 
destroyed wharves and shipping made matters worse, and 
by 1818 Shelburne was reduced to three hundred inhab¬ 
itants. 

About 1855 ship-building began to be an important in¬ 
dustry, and the place took an upward turn. In 1864 an 
academy was built, but the day of the wooden ship is pass¬ 
ing, and while Shelburne still has two small yards where 
fishermen are built, the town has dwindled again and is 
now a delightfully sleepy old place where one can lounge 
on a box at the smithy door or on a bit of timber near some 
growing fisherman and harken if he will to tales of the 
good old times. 

On the way into Shelburne I passed a beautiful clump 
of goldenrod whose waiting seed vessels were as a halo in 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 29 


the bright sunlight, and shortly after turning the corner 
came upon the picturesque disorder of a shipyard framed 
between the stubs of willows whose aged trunks suggested 
that they might date back two hundred years. The scene 
aroused huge anticipations in the breast of the camera. 

After a dinner in the Atlantic House I proceeded to 
ask questions of such as were gathered in the hotel office 
concerning the town. One of those present offered to pilot 
me about, and we ventured forth together. The Governor’s 
House is still standing on King street; the only other old 
house that my guide seemed to know of is the “Thompson” 
house. When it was built or by whom I did not learn, but 
it is supposed to have been erected at an early period, as 
the walls of the lower story are solid wood, some six or 
eight inches in thickness, presumably made so for defensive 
purposes. 

Being left to my own guidance I naturally selected 
the waterfront, where quite soon was discovered a boat 
shop that was at the moment turning out dories, presum¬ 
ably part of the equipment of a fishing schooner, the hull 
of which was nearing completion in an adjoining shipyard. 

The weather conditions were ideal for pictorial effects. 
A sky filled with damp clouds and a misty atmosphere that 
graduated the distance lent themselves to some beautiful 
and striking pictures; particularly was this so when the 
clouds thinned and the sun almost broke through. The east 
wind was very successful as a scene-shifter, rumpling the 
water in a gentle way while pushing the cloud masses on 
and off as they were needed. 





30 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


My travels finally brought me to the blacksmith’s shop 
of one who is now living on the fruit of his earlier indus¬ 
try. In the long ago he cared for the feet of the stagecoach 
horses, and as they had a way of wanting to be shod at all 
hours of the day and night, the mighty man worked over¬ 
time more often than not. Now he directs while others do 
the heavy work, or stands at the door of his shop and en¬ 
tertains callers. 

As I stood here helping to shoe an ox the “cow-reeve” 
passed. This is a duly elected official of the town in whom 
is vested authority to comprehend all “vagrom” cows that 
may be leading too gay an existence in the streets of Shel¬ 
burne. These he removes to the pound and shares with 
the poundmaster such emolument as comes from the sad 
faced owner of the segregated cow. 

As the “cow-reeve” passed there was a great flood of 
strong language from, those Idling about, from wffiich I gath¬ 
ered that he was not the most popular man in town; in fact 
he was more than once invited to go where only the bad are 
supposed to abide—not conscientious officials who do their 
duty. It was further suggested that if he desired to have 
the contour of his nose or other features altered he should 
attempt to interfere with the oxen awaiting in the open 
street the attentions of the blacksmith, but he, being a man 
of peace, opened not his mouth. 

And it was thus that I discovered what a “cow-reeve” 
was. It seems that this official in his zeal for the public 
good had, a few days before, attempted to uphold the 
majesty of the law as against the owners of certain oxen, 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 31 


but when the said owners charged on him he discreetly with¬ 
drew. 

Shoeing an ox is somewhat more complicated and tedi¬ 
ous than shooing a hen, but the effects are more lasting. 
A strong cage is constructed that no ox may break down; 
the animal is then coaxed within with much noise and slap¬ 
ping, bars are closed on his neck, a heavy cloth is passed 
beneath the body, one end being pulled aft between his 
legs. This end and the side are then attached to wind¬ 
lasses which are set up until the ox might easily suppose 
he is being fitted with a new pair of corsets. The hoof to 
be shod is next strapped securely to a block, and the in¬ 
cumbent is about as helpless as the first Frenchman in the 
ditch at Waterloo. After that the shoeing is a mere detail. 

The only milestone that I observed during the trip in¬ 
timated broadly that the miles were twenty-one between 
Shelburne and Lockport, but I am inclined to believe it 
somewhat less; for instance, I had only joggled six miles 
out of the pedometer at Jordan, while those of the neigh¬ 
borhood called it seven. It may be that some time some¬ 
one in authority has said, “Let there be seven / 9 and it was 
seven. All day the pedometer fell just a little short of the 
local figures. 

At Jordan I met three children homing from school, 
and with Venator, Izaak Walton’s chance acquaintance, 
could have said, “We are all so happy as to have a fine, 
fresh, cool morning, and I hope we shall each be the hap¬ 
pier in the other’s company. And that I may not lose 
yours, I shall either abate or amend my pace to enjoy it, 





32 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


knowing that as the Italians say, ‘Good company in a jour¬ 
ney makes the way to seem the shorter. ’ ’ ’ It seemed that 
teacher had gone to her home for Thanksgiving, which oc¬ 
curs in this land on October 20th, and as there is but one 
train each day and that chanced along some time before 
noon, the natural consequence was that school was dis¬ 
missed at an early hour. 

We discoursed of many things of mutual interest: The 
surprising fact that in the far country from which I came 
Thanksgiving does not occur until late in November; the 
joys of skating; apples; the bumps one receives in this 
naughty world, this being somewhat personal to the small 
boy of the party, who had but recently fallen on stony 
ground and was at the moment nursing a swollen lip. The 
scene of the accident being near at hand we stepped one 
side to view it and, having found the identical stone that 
proved so hard, proceeded on our way. They were quite 
as ready to be friendly as I, and accepted the stranger as 
a matter of course without wonder, and made no attempt 
to learn why I was as I was; we had our little jokes and 
our hearty laughs and walked thus together for perhaps 
half a mile, and I think were none the worse for a little light 
conversation. 

At East Jordan I pulled up at the house of Munroe with 
a hopeful expression on my countenance, and was told by 
the mistress of the house that she would do the best she 
could. This consisted of bread and butter, pickled beets, 
milk and two kinds of cookies, was filling and, so far as I 
have been able to judge, nourishing. 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 33 


Mrs. Munroe has thirteen to look after, and at the time 
was cooking enough to last most of them a week in the 
w^oods, where they will cut pulp wood. Norma, the eldest of 
eleven, is now a trained nurse in Boston, and earns $25 
each week. The local doctor says there is not another girl 
in the county with as little education as she had a chance 
to secure who could have passed the examination. “You 
know the eldest child in a large family does not have great 
opportunity for education.” Norma spent three weeks at 
home last summer, but could not stand it longer. A smart 
little shower passed to the westward while the lunch was 
being disposed of, the only one that occurred during the 
day. 

My course from East Jordan lay through woods; one 
glimpse over the head of Green Harbor was the only vari¬ 
ation. If one can judge by the names of places the people 
here have no great inventive faculty. For instance, the five 
towns on Jordan Bay are Jordan, Jordan Ferry, Jordan 
Bay, Lower Jordan Bay and East Jordan. 

The ox, which is the common carrier of this region, is 
seen everywhere on the road, always harnessed to a yoke 
which is fitted around the horns so that all the pull comes 
on the neck. The Biblical injunction, “Be ye not stiff 
necked as your fathers were” would never do for Nova 
Scotian oxen, whose value would be greatly lessened were 
they other than stiff necked as their fathers were. Their 
beautiful, great, soft eyes indicate a habit of thought that 
would hardly make them entertaining companions, but they 
accomplish much heavy hauling. 





34 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


One has much time to moralize thusly while plodding 
along the wood roads that for the most part offer little to 
the imagination, unless a partridge whirrs up and over the 
treetops or scurries through the brush, as sometimes oc¬ 
curs. 

One who picked me up about two miles out of Lock- 
port and regaled me with much talk by the way, had some¬ 
what to say concerning his father-in-law, a native of these 
parts, hut to his way of thinking made of a superior brand 
of clay. 

During the days of the Fenian raid along in the sixties, 
when all up and down the coast there was much excite¬ 
ment, a stranger appeared on this shore against whom the 
people with one accord shut their doors, dreading they 
knew not what. After being rebuffed at several houses he 
finally sought shelter with father-in-law who, fearing noth¬ 
ing, promptly took him in and learned in the course of time 
that the visitor was of Prince Edward Island, that his 
brother-in-law had been arrested for smuggling, and that 
he was the only witness against him. If he could keep in 
hiding until after the trial there could be no conviction, 
and as his host had little sympathy with government efforts 
to suppress the illicit traffic, the stranger was kept within 
his gates until he could safely return unto his own people. 
Ever after when he of the sheltering hand visited the home 
land of the former refugee, he was received with open 
arms and entertained with the best. 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 35 


LOCKPORT AND THE WAY TO LIVERPOOL. 

At Lockport I put up at Mrs. Mack’s “New Hillcrest,” 
from which it is but “two minutes’ walk to the celebrated 
Lockport beach,” a pebbly, crescent shaped stretch, where 
the waves break well out, owing to the shoal water. 

Mrs. Mack is a large success from the point of view 
of the traveler. Here I had the best supper of the entire 
trip, oyster stew and roast chicken, each in perfection, and 
was told by one who had spent three weeks under her hos¬ 
pitable roof that it was always the same. On entering the 
house there is a pleasant home air that is charming. That 
her place is full all summer, and that she rooms large num¬ 
bers outside, is the logical result of her methods. 

The day was very dull and the light none too good for 
the camera, but after leaving my excess baggage with my 
hostess, I soon found the way to the cold storage dock where 
fishermen were preparing signals and buoys for an expe¬ 
dition to the Banks. The slip was well filled with small 
vessels; fishermen, judging from the dories and trawl tubs 
nested on their decks, and the activity was interesting to 
a layman, but owing to weather conditions the camera did 
not enthuse much. 

One hundred and fifty years ago Dr. Jonathan Lock of 
Chilmark, Mass., and Josiah Churchill settled here. 
Throughout the Revolution the settlers refrained from ac- 





36 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


tive hostilities. Apparently their sympathies were with 
the struggling states, and it can well be imagined that their 
feelings as well as pockets were much hurt when, in 1779, 
American privateers came on shore and looted the town. 
The indignant protest which the townsmen uttered and 
which is still to be found in the archives of Massachusetts, 
is given in full:— 

“ Raged Islands, Sept. W. 25, 1779. 

* i These lines comes with my respect to you & to ac¬ 
quaint you of the Robery done to this Harbour, there was 
a guard of men placed upon every house and the houses 
stript, very surprising to us, they came here early in the 
Morning on the 20th day of August last and said they were 
from Penobscot and were tories bound for halifax, they 
come to my house first and wanted some refreshments ac¬ 
cordingly we let them have what they wanted, and they 
then went away and stayed on an island till the tide run 
so that they could Come at my Boat, then they came and 
took my Boat and put a guard upon my house and went a 
Robing they took about 19 quintals of Codfish and Four 
Barrels of Salt, three Salmon Netts 60 lbs. of Butter, one 
Green Hyde, five dressed Skins and some Cheese and a 
Great many other Things. The Boat cost me fifty pounds 
Halifax Currency. Then they went to Mr Matthews and 
there Robed him, then went to Mr Haydens, and Robed 
him, then went Mr Locks and Robed him. these things 
are very surprising that we in this Harbour that have done 
so much for America, that have helped three or four hun¬ 
dred prisoners up along to America and Given part of our 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 37 


living to them, and have Concealed Privateers & prizes 
too from the British Cruisers in this Harbour. All this 
done for America and if this be the way we are to be paid 
I desire to see no more of you without you Come in An¬ 
other Manner, but I hope the America gentlemen that 
Grants out Commissions or are Bondsmen would take 
these Notorious Rascalls in hand for this Robery. Sir be 
so kind as to Inform some of the Council of the affair, that 
we might have some restrictions, otherwise we shall not 
be able to help the American prisoners any more Sir, if 
you find out who these be, and whether we are like to have 
anything, be pleased to write. 

“ Signed 

“William Porterfield, 
“John Matthes 
“Thomas Hayden 
“Jonathan Lock" 

During the War of 1812 a hostile ship approached Lock- 
port at a time when the men were away, but the women 
and children formed themselves in martial array with red 
coats and broomsticks, and lined up on the bluff, while 
others marched up and down with a drum; still other pa¬ 
triotic souls fired such available muskets and fowling 
pieces as were to be had, and the local historian concludes 
his account with the statement that “the enemy made good 
their escape." 

Lockport is a considerable fishing headquarters. Here 
the “cod flakes" are set up wherever a vacant space oc- 





38 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


curs in the village. ‘ ‘Cod flakes” are low racks on which 
the split cod are spread to dry in the sun. An important 
adjunct to these is a sufficient number of boxes that look 
like children’s toy houses with hip roofs, under which the 
cod are collected in damp weather. Many of these were 
set up on the grassy slope in front of the hotel. On my 
arrival the cod were housed from the damp weather, and 
I did not suspect their presence until the following morn¬ 
ing, when the boxes were lifted and their contents spread 
to catch the heat of the recently emancipated sun. 

One of the most beautiful bits of land and water en¬ 
countered during the trip was the southernmost point of 
Lockport (when I say “most beautiful,” it is well to re¬ 
member that I saw but a small part of the coast line). The 
visit calls for a walk of a half mile across fields and through 
a bit of gnarled, storm-beaten woods out over a rough 
scrap of moorland, where the moss lies inches deep and 
the walking is a delicious little experience, to a rocky 
point against which the Atlantic sweeps without hindrance. 
A few timorous cows browsing among the hillocks run as 
the stranger approaches, or, standing at a safe distance, 
gaze on the intruder with a curious, uncertain attitude 
strongly reminding one of Bosa Bonheur’s highland cat¬ 
tle, though lacking something of the dignity of these. 
Close at hand the ocean swells and breaks against the 
rocky point, while beyond lies the level horizon line that is 
only broken by an occasional sail. For one who would be 
alone with nature and the elements it is a choice spot. 

The railroad only comes within four miles of Lockport, 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 39 


and a ferry fills the gap. This crosses the bay to East 
Side for the accommodation of those living in that remote 
neighborhood, and then recrosses to the depot landing, af¬ 
fording a good opportunity to see the harbor. As one ferry 
trip does duty for both east and west bound trains, and 
they differ in their coming to the extent of an hour, there 
was abundant opportunity to study the travelers, some on 
their way to Florida for the winter and some bound for 
their daily bread in New England ports. 

A center of attraction was a freshly killed moose which 
had been shot the day before about four miles from the 
station and brought in that morning; as my knowledge of 
mooseology is limited, I do not know whether his small 
horns indicated a young animal or not. The hunter was 
much pleased at the thought of being photographed with 
his game, and promptly unlashed the head from the bottom 
of the wagon and pulled it around where it would show to 
better advantage. 

It had been my original intention to take a train to 
Port Mouton (pronounced Ma-toon ) and walk from there 
to Liverpool, but the clouds began to scowl and the walk 
was shortened by keeping on to Hunts Point on the eastern 
shore of Mouton Bay. 

Mouton is French for sheep. In 1604 the Sieur de 
Monts lost a sheep here, which jumped overboard from his 
ship, and such an impression did the loss of that precious 
mutton make that the name has survived for more than 
three hundred years. As the train skirted the beach a won- 





40 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


derful sandy crescent could be seen on which the waves 
were charging with their white horses leaping high. 

Hunts Point is a small fishing station with another 
curving sand beach, but while some miles nearer the open 
ocean, in fact, almost directly on it, the surf by no means 
equaled that at Port Mouton—it was rather the gentle rip¬ 
ple of a summer sea. At the southern extremity of the 
crescent is grouped a picture-compelling cluster of fish 
warehouses and wharves that gives an unusual finish to 
the view. The camera considered it for some minutes, but, 
strange to say, refused to even attempt it. The place is 
well worth a visit though, under another lighting and a 
different state of the tide it might be another picture al¬ 
together. 

The seven miles to Liverpool was uneventful except for 
a beautiful brook that dashes from the woods and all but 
pounces on the road. Fortunately it drops into a Stillwater 
and glides off at a right angle just in time to save the high¬ 
way. As to the remainder of the way, it would no doubt 
have been more interesting had I traveled in the direction 
of Western Head, and so along the shore of Liverpool Bay 
through Black Point, but as it was the shades of night 
had been pulled down before my destination was reached. 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 41 


LIVERPOOL, PORT MEDWAY AND BEYOND. 

At Lockport I met S. E. Mack of Lunenburg, who is in 
the Customs Service, and who took a live interest in my 
method of seeing the country. He suggested the Daniels 
House as a comfortable place to spend Sunday, and while 
its management had changed hands since he knew it last, I 
found it quite satisfactory. The Mersey House here is 
claimed to be one of the best in Nova Scotia. 

Charles AVarman, a resident of Liverpool, has written 
much concerning the town’s history and has tramped Nova 
Scotia from end to end in search of local lore. I found 
him at work on the journal of Col. Simeon Perkins, but he 
was quite ready to defer his own work and give me atten¬ 
tion. A walk about the town under his guidance resulted 
in much that proved of interest. 

In 1605 the Sieur de Monts was made Lieutenant-Gen¬ 
eral of Nova Scotia by Henry IV. A year before this he, 
in company with Champlain, sailed along this coast. This 
locality he named Port Rossignal, after a certain adven¬ 
turous gentleman who was caught poaching on his pre¬ 
serves here, and whose vessel he confiscated. Later the 
region was included in La Tour’s grant known as La Ileve; 
the settlements were small and not permanent. 

The present towm of Liverpool was founded in 1759 by 
New 7 England pioneers. That they were an energetic lot 





42 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


is thought proven by the fact that within a year they were 
building three vessels for the fisheries to add to a fleet that 
already contained sixteen schooners. One of their leaders 
was Oapt. Sylvanus Cobb, who had been master and owner 
of one of the vessels that removed the Acadians from 
Grand-Pre in 1755. 

In 1779 American privateers were a constant source of 
annoyance and damage, but “the thrifty Yankee of Liv¬ 
erpool concluded to make hay while the sun shines. So in 
due time they had a fine fleet of privateers harrying the 
New England waters for the spoils of war, and the prac¬ 
tice was returned, but these Nova Scotians got the better 
of the game, and several families, who were very plain 
people before, became persons of consequence on this 
money that had been taken from their own flesh and blood” 
—so says a Nova Scotia historian. 

Whether an acquaintance I made in Port Medway has 
a gentle little grudge against Liverpool, or whether it is 
commendable local jealousy, I am not quite clear, but he 
takes this view of it: “As a result of this privateering 
certain of the people of Liverpool grew wealthy, built a 
string of houses along the main street and held themselves 
up as aristocrats, and some of their descendants still think 
they are made of better clay than the average . 1 y 

The War of 1812 proved another blessing to the free¬ 
booters, as did that between England, France and Spain. 

Smuggling was another popular fad, and anyone who 
interfered was more than apt to get himself disliked. In 
1782 a certain citizen had the reputation of being an in- 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 43 


former, and about the time that this reputation became 
firmly established, or shortly thereafter, the Provisional 
Government was offering a reward for the conviction of 
the person or persons who cut off the ears of the said citi¬ 
zen. It does not appear to be a matter of record that the 
reward was ever collected, the informer business having be¬ 
come extremely unpopular. 

A fort which is now a public park that adorns the 
southern end of the town does not appear to have been 
much more useful in the early days, as we are told that in 
1780 it was captured by an unexpected night attack led by a 
Yankee named Benjamin Cole. With their fort in the 
hands of the enemy and the place commanded by the guns 
of the privateer, the situation looked hopeless to the towns¬ 
men—all but Col. Simeon Perkins. Getting out of diffi¬ 
culties appears to have been one of the Colonel’s chief de¬ 
lights, and he proceeded to make arrangements for the 
capture of the invading Cole while on his way through the 
town. The attempt was successful, and with him safely in 
hand, Colonel Perkins “was enabled to dictate to the 
enemy most favorable terms of redress, capitulation and 
retreat. So ended the Siege of Liverpool. ” 

One of the interesting items Mr. Wax-man had just 
transcribed from the journal of Simeon Perkins was dated 
October 3,1774. It reads: “John Thomas who took three 
hundred pounds of tea from here lost the whole lot by the 
Sons of Liberty at Plymouth destroying it on deck.” This 
piece of news had been brought from Plymouth by Joshua 
Battle, who came to Liverpool for “boards.” Mr. Warrnan 





44 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOyA SCOTIA 


states that it is a fact not generally known that two of 
the vessels raided for tea in Boston harbor were from this 
port. 

Another interesting item dated August 3, 1776, is the 
recording of a rumor to the effect that General Washington 
had been made a prisoner. 

The home of Simeon Perkins, erected by him in 1766, 
still stands back from the main street in a fine state of 
preservation. Another interesting old home is that of 
Capt. Bartlett Bradford, which is situated well out toward 
the fort. The Captain was a privateer of note and a 
prominent man in the community. This house was the 
first custom house (1790), Joshua Newton occupying it for 
that purpose. 

A story which Mr. Warman has never used because he 
has not been able to verify it, has to do with the apparition 
of a Capt. Nathaniel Freeman. The Captain’s wife called 
on Simeon Perkins one day and said she had seen her hus¬ 
band during the night, when he appeared before her in his 
uniform with a bloody spot on his breast; she feared he 
had been killed. Two months later the news was brought 
to Liverpool that he had been killed in some fight at the 
very hour that his wife had seen him. Ghosts no doubt have 
their use and are intended for some good and wise pur¬ 
pose, but here was one whose only object appears to have 
been trouble; the two months must have been a trying 
time. Suppose the widow had just purchased a new scar¬ 
let petticoat, what a state of mind she must have been in. 
The call was neither nice nor necessary. 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 45 


Here is the story of Gerb Doggett of Liverpool, as I 
gathered it from a fellow-traveler between She-lbnrne and 
Lockport. Gerb Doggett was a bad man—very bad. Gerb 
was a canner of lobsters. Whether canning lobsters de¬ 
teriorates the morals of one so engaged has not been de¬ 
termined; he may have been naturally wicked and have 
utilized his solitary trips up and down the coast, when pur¬ 
chasing lobsters, for the thinking out of schemes whereby 
he could excel in evil deeds. Be this as it may, Gerb gave 
up the canning business and took a correspondence course 
in smuggling. 

Having learned well the best methods employed in his 
new trade, he did not invest any of his own money in a ves¬ 
sel, but chartered a schooner and went buccaneering for 
whisky to the French settlement of Saint Pierre, off New¬ 
foundland. The first effort was highly successful. The 
whisky was run in under cover of a dark night and quickly 
disposed of, but some meddlesome little bird whispered to 
the revenue officials that there were queer doings along¬ 
shore, and they kept a weather eye out, so to speak. Gerb, 
all unconscious of impending evil, secured a second cargo 
by which he hoped to put away a certain portion of this 
world’s goods for that rainy day that we all fear, and which 
was somewhat nearer at hand than he anticipated. 

Just how it was my informant did not make clear, but in 
some way Gerb learned that those in authority were on his 
wake, and he had only time enough to land in some lonely 
cove along the Strait of Canso, bury the casks in the sand 
and put to sea. The pursuit was kept up, however, until 





46 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


the smuggler found it necessary to abandon his vessel and 
drop out of sight, and he has not been known in these parts 
since. The innocent owners lost their schooner, which was 
confiscated by an unfeeling government, and thus was the 
wisdom of Gerb, whose own money was not in the vessel, 
illustrated. 

October 20th is the Nova Scotian Thanksgiving Day. 
The shipyard near the eastern end of the bridge apparently 
had a hurry job, as work was in full blast, but elsewhere the 
holiday was being observed. 

A wet fog hurried in from the sea to prevent me from 
acquiring any sort of a view of the surrounding waters, 
but the dim outline of the Brooklyn breakwater with a few 
vessels sheltered back of it brought to mind a statement 
made by Mr. Warman that here was the fishing station of 
that unfortunate Captain Rossignol, who was caught by 
de Monts in the act of catching fish that a king three thou¬ 
sand miles away had given to his retainer. It was a rather 
empty return that the captor made to name the bay after 
his victim. 

After passing the turn for Millvillage I was cautioned 
twice to take the left road at the next fork, and did so, to 
discover too late that I had thereby missed the shore road. 
However, a hunter informed me that three miles had been 
saved, and the fog was so dense that the shore road would 
no doubt have been a mere aggravation, while among the 
trees the mist afforded some beautiful effects. The cam¬ 
era eagerly grasped at these, but mostly failed in its good 
intent. The more distant trees were the ghosts of trees, 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 47 


while those at hand, a dark, somber mass of green, stood 
strong against the misty background. An occasional tall 
white birch with its crown of gold melted into the unreal 
atmosphere. 

I started two partridges at one point, and at another a 
big, brown bunny hopped across the road in a leisurely 
fashion that made it perfectly evident he was aware that 
I had no gun. It being a holiday the hunters were out. I 
passed several, and occasionally heard the boom of a dis¬ 
tant gun, suggesting that another partridge was on his 
way to the roasting pan. 

And thus passed pleasantly the ten miles to Port Med¬ 
way. 

Port Medway has my heart, as have also its girls—at 
least, two of them. The traveler comes into the village 
quite suddenly, to find the houses snuggled down close 
along little coves, each man his cove. As the village is fur¬ 
ther penetrated it is to find that the waters have worked 
long fingers up into the land until many houses back on 
the water, as well as front on it. An artist might find 
more to do here in a minute than would keep him busy for 
a year, it is all so sketchy. 

Now for the girls: There are two of them, as plump 
and bright and pleasant as one could ask. My heart went 
smash immediately, torn between the two, even if one 
was married. They allowed me to come out in the 
kitchen, hang my damp coat over a chair and eat in my 
shirtsleeves. Both could talk and neither made any undue 
protestations at being photographed. 





48 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


If any one desires a choice spot for a vacation let him 
try the Kempton House, Port Medway, Queens Co., N. S., 
and forever after be filled with pleasant memories. The 
board is $5 per week. I asked if they fed all as they were 
feeding me, and had a laugh and “yes” for answer. 

When I began to ask questions concerning the locality 
Mr. J. N. Wilde was called in to assist, Mr. Jason Kemp* 
ton, fountain head of all knowledge, being away from home. 

My information is to the effect that Port Medway was 
settled about one hundred and seventy-five years ago by 
immigrants from Cape Cod. Why they came Mr. His¬ 
torian does not know, but he surmises that they were the 
unsuccessful ones at home and, having nothing to lose by 
the change, could afford to make it. One of the early ones 
was a Cohoon, whose seed multiplied in the land until about 
one hundred years ago the family was numerous and 
prominent. The same is to be said of the Foster and 
Morine families, but the last century has seen them dwin¬ 
dle until few of these names are left. 

I could not learn that the town had ever had any adven¬ 
tures ; if it has they have been carefully hidden from Mr. 
Wylde, who is a reasonably free talker. 

In passing I would record the fact that in Pori Medway 
lies the first stone wall or fence, such as is so common with 
us, that has come within the compass of this walk. 

From here I was to ferry to Voglers Cove. My ferry¬ 
man had the face of a poet with the blond, silky little beard 
that fits so well such a face, but the hands were those of 
a hard worker. A soft voice; pleasant, talkative and 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 49 


kindly, I was so sure that he must have at least one baby 
tucked away at home that I tried to give him a quarter to 
get the child a little present. But, alas! he had none. 

The run across to Voglers Cove, which is possibly a mat¬ 
ter of four miles, was made in a motor boat whose cranky 
engine balked, as is the habit of these descendants of the 
mule. It was interesting to see what patience and perse¬ 
verance could do with such a loose-jointed affair. 

On the outskirts of Yoglers Cove I came on Jason Con¬ 
rad and his ox cart, and as the background seemed pro¬ 
pitious, the camera proceeded to its duty. Jason being of 
an inquiring turn of mind, hauled up to see what it was 
all about and, having learned, proceeded to give me his 
life history, which I unfortunately did not attempt to re¬ 
cord until only a few fragments remained to be gathered up. 

He had been to sea some sixty years and three times 
thought the good Lord had him, but each time managed to 
escape. His old woman has stomach trouble very bad, like 
heartburn right here (illustrating); doctors could do 
nothing for her, but he had some very fine old Jamaica 
rum which cured her. After that she had the trouble so 
frequently that the rum was soon exhausted, and he has 
not been able to get any more as good. Used to drink him¬ 
self some in his earlier days. 4 ‘You know how it is with 
sailors/’ Like his namesake of long ago, he appears to 
have sown his share of dragons’ teeth. New York is a 
damn fine town. Halifax is a—well, it would hardly do 
for polite ears to hear what he thought of Halifax. I finally 
edged around my new found friend and left him standing 





50 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


in the middle of the road still telling of his adventures. 
He was one of the most willing talkers I have met in some 
time. 

The way to Petite Riviere, which was possibly seven or 
eight miles, does not seem to have left any impression. It 
was probably a wood road, and much like other wood roads 
that had gone before. 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 51 


PETITE RIVIERE AND DUBLIN SHORE. 

The Sperry House down by the water at Petite Riviere 
is another of those pleasant homes for wayfarers. Both 
the master and mistress can find time to be agreeable, and 
are kindly people. The situation of the house is such that 
the roar of the breakers on the outer bar is always to be 
heard, and their whitening tops can readily be seen from 
the upper windows as they are dashed to pieces upon the 
breakwater. It is one of those hotels that believes in deeds 
rather than words. There is no sign on house or grounds 
to indicate its object in life, though the building is almost 
out of sight from the road and the stranger would never 
suspect its calling. 

A fog held the region in thrall at the time of my arrival 
and the two hours of daylight that remained did not pro¬ 
duce much beyond a ground-glass effect, a shadowy fore¬ 
ground with the distance as blank as the mind of an ox. 

The Sperry House is the first place where cream has 
been put on the table. The past summer was very dry, 
and the cows have not been giving much milk, and now that 
the rainy season has arrived most of the milk looks as 
though the cows were drinking over much. 

In the days when eyes were less stigmatic and people 
saw things as they really were, those outward bound from 
Petite Riviere would, in the fall of the year, sometimes see 





52 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


a full rigged bark sail in on Crescent Beach, some two or 
three miles to the eastward, pass over the beach and con¬ 
tinue on among the Lahave Islands, where it was lost to 
view. No one ever discovered its exact destination, though 
it was presumed to be the ghost of some pirate ship return¬ 
ing for buried gold. 

It may possibly have been bound for Fort Point at the 
mouth of the Lahave River, where many have dug for 
buried treasure in times past. Why the vessel always 
came across the beach and never took the channel does not 
appear, but it may be that in the early days there was an 
opening in the sand near its western end and the ghost, 
being a creature of habit, merely followed the old routine. 

Once there was a lily pond in Petite Riviere in which it 
was generally supposed gold had been deposited for safe 
keeping, as the headless ghost of a woman was seen fre¬ 
quently patrolling its banks. But one day the pond was 
drained, and though no money was found the ghost was sat¬ 
isfied, as she has not been known to appear in the neighbor¬ 
hood since; possibly it was fairy gold and, with the weight 
of the water removed, the ghost was herself able to make 
away with it. 

The boys of Petite Riviere appear to be much like boys 
of other parts, not particularly bad nor yet altogether 
given over to Sunday-school work. My host in going over 
the annals of the town dwelt at some length on certain 
plum trees that did particularly well by him last year. It 
seems that the boys of this neighborhood have a taste for 
plums and, as stolen fruit is much the sweeter, determined 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 53 


to raid the orchard. In some mysterious way the owner 
learned of the intended foray and, being a man of resource, 
proceeded to set a trap for the invaders. First some pans 
were arranged on the top of a summer house with a string 
attached that would give warning of any visit, and next a 
long cod trawl line, to which he added extra hooks, was 
]aid in the grass entirely around the orchard. This was 
arranged so that a strong pull would elevate it about twenty 
inches above the ground. 

In due time the pans signaled ‘ ‘ S. 0. S.,’ ’ and with a pull 
on the cod line the crowd was encircled. Then, not caring 
how much noise he made, the owner went out to greet his 
visitors hut they, becoming suddenly shy, scattered or at¬ 
tempted to. Then it was that the heavy cod hooks caught 
the clothing of certain among them, and three who were 
firmly hooked remained to give him welcome. These he 
calmly inspected with a light and, after giving them full 
instructions in the art of being good, hastened their de¬ 
parture. For the remainder of the time those plums were 
on the trees they were treated with the greatest respect. 

The western side of Petite Riviere cove terminates in 
what is known as Cape Lahave, and thereabout hangs a 
tale that I cannot vouch for, owing to lack of time for care¬ 
ful investigation. From the earliest times there have been 
traditions of buried money here, and many have searched 
though few have found. However, if what follows is a cor¬ 
rect statement of the case, two men were successful up to 
a certain point. What manner of bargain they struck with 
the Evil One my informant did not know, and both of the 





JL 


54 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


adventurers being away on the Banks, nothing of this 
could be learned, but the powers of darkness did permit 
them to discover a chest buried in the sand. When the 
earth had been removed and the coffer with great labor 
lifted from the hole, the lid was raised and great store of 
treasure exposed: gold, silver and all manner of precious 
stones. 

In such a search as this, digging must not begin be¬ 
fore the clock strikes the hour of midnight and, if found, 
the treasure must be safely housed before cockcrow, while 
during the entire period a single word spoken breaks the 
spell and all is lost. The successful treasure-hunters were 
greatly elated, and immediately started home with their 
prize, but just as they reached the goal one unfortunately 
stubbed his toe. It was a mighty stub and, forgetting all 
else, he made a few emphatic and pointed remarks, when 
immediately the chest and all it contained vanished in air. 
What his companion remarked is best left unsaid ; it was 
no balm to his feelings to know that the Devil, repenting of 
his bargain, had deliberately placed a stone in the path for 
the very purpose which the stubbed toe accomplished. 

Both men returned the next night, but were unable to 
find the spot or any evidence of digging, and never since 
then has the eye of mortal been allowed to see that chest. 

During the night I awoke occasionally to listen to the 
rain which came down in great volume. The incessant roar 
of the surf on the bar, the whistling of the wind and dash¬ 
ing of rain squalls against the side of the house aroused 
thoughts of the morrow which were of a damnifying sort, 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 55 


but when the morning had half gone the rain ceased, and 
I set forth only, however, to become involved in a series 
of showers that punctured the hours which followed until 
two o’clock was no more. 

The jaunt from Petite Riviere was possibly the most 
captivating of the entire trip. At first the roar of a heavy 
surf breaking within two to five hundred feet of the road 
commanded the undivided attention, and when the rush and 
clamor of the heavier breakers came the very air was 
jarred and the noise was appalling, the more so because 
nothing was visible beyond the dense fringe of spruce 
which bordered the road. So heavy were the reverbera-' 
tions among the trees that I was tempted two or three 
times to investigate, only to find that it was merely heavy 
surf and nothing more, but back among the trees there was 
at times a crash that almost made the heart stand still: 
it seemed as though the next instant the waters would be 
upon one. What it may be like when the wild old Atlantic 
is really worked up over some windy suspiration is beyond 
comprehension. 

Finally the woods fell away and Crescent Beach came 
into view, a long curving sandbar thrown up by the sea 
with quiet water on one side and the surf pounding on the 
other. This introduces the traveler to West Dublin and 
Dublin Shore at the mouth of the Lahave River, a stretch 
of some five miles. 

At first the waters are quiet, owing to the protection of 
Crescent Beach, the shore is a series of enchanting little 
coves and promontories with rocks and small craggy trees 





56 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


distractingly picturesque. Then the road dodges away 
from the shore for a half mile, only to come back to it again 
where cod flakes line the way and little storehouses, through 
whose open doors one can see men piling dried cod as the 
farmer might fill his shed with the winter ? s supply of fire¬ 
wood. 

Then the bank becomes a bluff and the road ascends 
thirty to forty feet above the water, while the waves, no 
longer restrained by Crescent Beach, dash themselves on 
the rocks below, a beautiful, rugged bit of coast. It is not 
possible to adequately describe this wonderful five miles. 
All the way houses are grouped or dotted along one side 
of the road; it is like a straggling village street; while on 
the other the shore stirs one’s heart with its beauty or its 
rugged features or its interesting evidences of the life of the 
fishing banks. It is seldom that the traveler finds so much 
that is interesting and attractive in one short stretch. 

Fort Point is situated at the outlet of the Lahave River 
on its Western bank. I presume that it is included in the 
village of Dublin Shore, but, as these villages run one into 
the other in a most promiscuous fashion, it may come 
within the confines of Getsans Point. In 1755 an Acadian 
village stood here, nothing of which now remains but a few 
almost obliterated depressions that were once the cellars 
of the French homes. 

Immediately back of the little lighthouse lies a pond 
in which, according to local tradition, the Acadians placed 
the church bell and silver service at the time of the expul¬ 
sion. These are still believed to lie deep in the mud. This 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 57 


mud, I was told, is from ten to twenty feet deep. Some at¬ 
tempts have been made to probe it with long poles, but 
without results. 

I found two men working in a field nearby, who were 
quite ready to act as guides, and they, with the lightkeeper, 
took me over the locality and helped find in the brush near 
the pond the foundations of the chapel and priests house 
and the well close by. These are such slight elevations and 
so overgrown that the stranger might easily not recognize 
his discovery when made. 

The fort which gives name to the point stood on its 
south side, which is elevated fifteen feet above the water. 
The land here has been washed away within the memory 
of my guides, until the remains of the fort have entirely 
disappeared. A few thin, crudely made bricks were picked 
up on the beach, which may have been used to line a fire¬ 
place, but other than this no remnant of the fort is to be 
found. 

In times past will-o Mhe-wisp lights have been seen to 
come and go on the opposite shore of the river below 
Riverport, but what they portended or why they are not 
seen in these degenerate days, my new found friends did 
not know. It has occurred to me that possibly these may 
be the returned spirits of moose and bear endeavoring to 
wreak a last revenge on the intruding white man. If the 
legend which follows is true, this is at least a plausible ex¬ 
planation :— 

The earliest French settlement here was in 1613. There 
is an Indian legend which relates that when these white 





58 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


men landed the bears and moose held a grand conclave 
around the headwaters of the Lahave River, some fifty 
miles in the interior, where they entered into an alliance 
against the paleface. It was determined that the moose 
should wage war against all cornfields planted by the in¬ 
truders, while the bears attacked their cattle and sheep, 
but no person was to be eaten by them unless he bore a 
gun which made a great noise and carried confusion among 
the peaceable denizens of the wood. 

The place of this meeting was known as “Ponhook,” 
which is said to mean “outlet’’—presumably of some lake 
—but exactly where it was is not now known, though it is 
still guarded by two bears and two moose which are invul¬ 
nerable, and not subject to the ills which beset their less 
favored brethren when the hunting season is on. Since 
this treaty no bear has been known to attack a moose, how¬ 
ever young and defenseless it may be. It is said the In¬ 
dians now believe that it would have been better for them 
if they too had entered the alliance, as the white man has 
made laws which at least protect the moose. 

A brief note in one of the histories states that in 1632 
Chevalier Isaac de Razilly, acting as agent for a French 
company which had been organized by Cardinal Richelieu 
to exploit the fisheries of Acadie, came across the seas with 
forty families, which were settled at what is now known 
as Fort Point, at the mouth of the Lahave River (more 
properly La Heve). 

About 1654 Emmanuel le Borgne, a merchant of Ro¬ 
chelle, came to Acadie and, after the gentle manner of the 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 59 


times, some of his men set fire to all the buildings at La 
Heve, not even sparing the chapel. The loss was estimated 
at 100,000 francs. Some time later the son of Le Borgne 
entered the harbor and constructed a fort of timber, where¬ 
upon the English undertook to dislodge the French. Le 
Borgne promptly sought the cover of the woods with some 
of his men, but a trader who was with him, one Gilbaut, de¬ 
fended the place with such vigor that many of the English 
were killed and the remainder driven off. They were pre¬ 
paring to attack again when Gilbaut, who had no interest 
except in his goods, proposed to surrender on condition 
that he and his men should be allowed to retain their pos¬ 
sessions. This was readily agreed to, and the fort fell 
without further bloodshed. Le Borgne, who was quickly 
starved out, desired to be included in the surrender and 
granted the same terms, but as he had run away before the 
fight began, the English failed to see tfye force of his 
claims, and carried him off a prisoner. 

In 1684 M. Perrot, the Governor of Acadie, proposed to 
fortify and settle La Heve under certain conditions, hut 
apparently nothing was done in the matter. 





60 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


LUNENBURG AND MAHONE BAY. 

After a brief search I found a ferryman who would 
set me across the Lahave to Riverport. The ferryboat was 
a dory, and this was the first time that I had seen a dory 
without centerboard sailed to windward. The boatman 
stood or sat forward of midships, passing the sheet 
through an after tholepin hole and holding the end of it in 
one hand, while with the other he manipulated an oar on 
the lee side of the boat so that it was both rudder and side¬ 
board, and thus the boat sailed fairly well into the wind 
without sliding otf to too great an extent. Later I learned 
that this is the manner of sailing a dory employed by the 
fishermen on the Banks when looking after their trawds. 

By this time the storm was breaking and the sun w r as 
dodging the flying clouds, the wind was in the west and 
there was such life and vigor in the atmosphere as had not 
been present before at any time during the trip. Here I saw 
the process of cleaning drying cod. During damp weather 
the cod accumulate a shine that must be removed, and men 
go over each fish with a scrubbing brush and fresh water, a 
very considerable task and one which the fishermen do not 
like. 

The road from Riverport to Lunenburg passes through 
the usual spruce forest and shortly comes out on an arm of 
Lunenburg Bay, after which it was a bit of woods or a bit 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 61 


of water until First South was reached. First South and 
its suburbs consist of a scattering line of houses at least 
two miles long, with the road winding in and out along the 
edge of the beach. Much cod was spread for the rays of the 
newly found sun, and here and there the dried fish had been 
piled by the road side with a wealth of salt, ready to be 
stored or shipped. The entire stretch was picturesque to 
a degree. 

Lunenburg was settled by Hanoverian immigrants in 
1751, and is still largely German in character. It is the 
important fishing station of Nova Scotia and has grown 
so great that it is known as “the Gloucester of Canada,” 
and claims to send out more fishing vessels even than the 
mother of fishermen. 

The place had its troubles during the American War 
for Independence, as did other towns along this coast. 
On July 1, 1782, a privateer from Boston sailed into the 
bay and landed ninety men and some guns for an attack. 
They were fired on from the block house, but this does not 
appear to have delayed their progress to any alarming ex¬ 
tent, for they soon captured the guns, which were promptly 
spiked, after which they proceeded to plunder the town of 
all that seemed good to them. After they were satisfied 
that there was nothing more to take they threatened to 
burn the houses unless a ransom was paid. There was, 
of course, no money, but they were given a document which 
purported to be a note for £1,000. The entire loss to the 
town was placed at £10,000. 

Mr. Mack searched me out shortly after my arrival, and 





62 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


announced that he had intended to devote some part of 
the morrow to my enlightenment on local matters, but the 
fates had decreed otherwise. The customs collector at the 
village of Mahone Bay was no more, and it devolved on 
my friend to keep the wheels running until a new inspector 
could be selected. He must drive up, nine miles, the first 
thing on the following morning, and would be glad to have 
me go with him. In the meantime he would walk about the 
town with me in the evening, and again by the early morn¬ 
ing light. 

I had a note to the effect that the old rectory here was 
formerly a tavern and that occasionally the spirit of a 
woman appears to its inmates. This is said to have hap¬ 
pened to people who had never heard of the story and whose 
imagination could not have been prepared in advance. The 
origin is supposed to lie in some murder long ago, but of 
this nothing is known. It was my intent to ask somewhat 
of this but, strange to say, I neglected to do so. 

The present-day interest of Lunenburg centers about 
its wharves and shipping. The town lies on such a steep 
hillside that the parallel streets are only one hundred and 
twenty feet apart, and everywhere one looks down on the 
harbor. At this particular time a large fleet of fishermen 
was lying at anchor in the quiet waters, waiting for the 
weather to straighten itself out. Across the bay could be 
seen the “Ovens,” curious caverns which are said to run 
well back into the hill. Considerable gold has been washed 
out of the sand here in the past. 

If it were not for friend Mack I should be tempted to 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 63 


say mean things about the hotel in his town, where the 
kitchen service is of a most exasperating character, greatly 
accentuated by waitresses who have little of the Nova 
Scotian spirit in their make-up. However, any hotel is but 
an incident, and its discomforts are soon forgotten. 

The drive to the village of Mahone Bay was interesting 
in itself, and particularly so as my guide knew every foot 
of the way. We passed a new venture for these parts, a 
fox farm. Black foxes are worth $40,000 per pair, so I am 
told, and it requires some capital to start such an enter¬ 
prise, but the promised profits are so enormous that the 
necessary funds are readily obtainable. The raising of 
foxes for their fur has been carried on in Prince Edward 
Island with great success for some years, and there seems 
no reason why it cannot be duplicated here. 

Had I been dawdling along on foot, there were several 
spots that could have tempted the camera from its seclu¬ 
sion. But when the village of Mahone Bay was reached it 
was unable to resist longer, for here the waters were so 
quiet that even such a sober individual as myself saw dou¬ 
ble, the village church was standing on its head in a fashion 
quite apart from one’s notion of village church etiquette. 

As I started up the hill with my back set toward Ma¬ 
hone Bay there came another little experience of the cour¬ 
teous spirit so frequently commented on. I was on the 
wrong side of the road when one driving an ox team came 
toward me. He promptly “geed” the animals across the 
way in order to give me an abundance of room, and did it 
in such a matter of course fashion as to clearly show that 





64 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


such was his habit. Even the dogs so seldom run at the 
passer-by that, when one does, it is a matter for comment. 
I saw one well pounded merely because he dared bark at 
me. 

The day was perfect Indian summer weather, soft and 
kindly, cloudy during the early morning hours, as seems 
the fashion here, but by ten o ’clock the clouds had vanished 
and a gentle breeze from the west come to dull the edge of 
the shafts with which a warm sun was assailing all creep¬ 
ing things in this part of the globe. Later the clouds be¬ 
gan to assemble again, but merely for decorative purposes. 

From the village of Mahone Bay the road crosses the 
country to another cove of Mahone Bay through beautiful, 
dark green woods or burned stretches where none but dead 
trees kept watch and ward, through the villages of Martins 
River, where I invested in apples and soda crackers for 
lunch, and Martins Point, which put me in touch with the 
water again, to Western Shore. My instructions were to 
proceed to Gold River and there find some one to ferry me 
across to Chester, but my fortunate habit of asking ques¬ 
tions led to the discovery that Oak Island was in sight; in¬ 
deed, had already been passed, and I was immediately 
consumed with a desire to ferry from Western Shore. 

James E. Manuel offered his boat and services, and we 
immediately struck a bargain. The usual charge for the 
three and one-quarter miles is seventy-five cents, but on my 
suggestion it was made a dollar and we were to go by way 
of Oak Island, the great mystery of Nova Scotia. Mahone 
Bay is said to have been a one-time resort for pirates and 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 65 


other gentle freebooters, who found its islands convenient 
places behind which to hide their vessels; indeed, the 
estimable Captain Kidd himself was a visitor here, so it 
is claimed, and it is generally supposed that he used Oak 
Island as a sub-treasury. Some gentleman with a turn for 
figures has estimated that Captain Kidd’s treasure un¬ 
earthed so far amounts to $354,523,188.03. Just how he 
arrives at these figures is of small moment, but they must 
be exact, as he includes the cents. A few of the still undis¬ 
covered millions are firmly believed to lie buried here. 

Seekers after this easy money have digged pits all over 
the place. Some of these have gone down one hundred 
and fifty-six feet through layers of cut stone, and at a depth 
of one hundred feet have found hewn oak timbers, strange 
grasses from the tropics, charcoal, putty and carefully 
joined planks. But while much capital has been expended 
no treasure has been brought forth nor anything that might 
solve the mystery. At the lower depths great stone drains 
communicating with the sea were discovered. These ad¬ 
mitted the salt water more rapidly than it could be pumped 
out; then divers were used, but all to no purpose. How¬ 
ever, as hope springs eternal, so one set of discouraged 
seekers is replaced by a new lot of enthusiasts, who must 
be convinced with their own convintion,' and so it goes. 

As is my habit I began right early to ask questions of 
my ferryman, and among others, as to whether he had 
ever heard of the Teazer . To this he promptly replied: “I 
have seen it.” I gently reminded him that the privateer 





66 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


was blown up during the War of 1812, and he then told the 
following story:—' 

When a lad, some fifty years ago, he and his father were 
night-fishing off Peggys Cove on the southeastern shore of 
St. Margarets Bay. About ten o’clock he saw coming 
toward them from Mabone Bay a full rigged ship on fire. 
Much frightened, he spoke to his father, who said it was 
nothing but the moon rising. He was old enough, however, 
to know that the moon did not rise in the northwest. “I 
was scared, but father didn’t mind it because he’d see it 
lots of times.” The vessel approached within five hundred 
feet of their small boat, and he could distinctly see men on 
her deck and flames rising from all parts. 

The man was evidently sincere in his belief that he had 
seen the ghost ship; said she had been seen since by other 
people, and always sailing out of the bay, never in. I had 
heard the story before, it is common along this coast, and 
it would seem probable that there is some occasional phe¬ 
nomenon which, combined with a reasonably satisfactory 
imagination, keeps it alive. 

Passing out beyond Oak Island we saw in the distance a 
“nubble” island which is struggling along without any 
name. It was just beyond this I was informed that the 
Teazer was blown up. 

During the War of 1812 an American Privateer, the 
Young Teazer , which had done much damage along this 
coast, fled to the head of Mahone Bay in an effort to escape 
a British cruiser, but being cornered she made a gallant 
though losing fight, and was about to surrender when a 






LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 67 


deserter from the British, who was among her crew, fired 
the powder magazine, choosing to sacrifice all those on 
board rather than meet the punishment which was surely 
his if captured. The circumstances were so dramatic that 
they made a lasting impression on the little communities of 
the locality. 

The day was so ideally perfect that my ferryman was 
compelled to row the entire distance, though his small leg- 
of-mutton helped some. He was a nice, garrulous party 
who does anything, from helping his son-in-law kill his pig 
to fishing on the Grand Banks; when nothing else occupies 
his attention and the ferry business is dull he gathers kelp 
and eel grass for fertilizer. 

We poked along, passing island after island, several of 
them already owned by “Americans,” as those of the 
United States are called here, and I not caring how much 
time was consumed, asked very particularly after exact lo¬ 
cations, got out my pocket map in order to be certain that 
I understood and in all ways interrupted the rowing as 
much as possible. Had time been of no moment I should 
have bargained with my boatman for a period of hours, 
and drifted over the waters for the remainder of the pleas¬ 
ant spell of weather, in spite of the fact that son-in-law 
upset in this same boat the other day and ruined a per¬ 
fectly good thirty dollar watch. But as ail things pass 
away, even so did this Indian summer afternoon drift oil 
into the regions of memory. 

If any reader ever arrives at Western Shore with in¬ 
tent to be transported over the waters to Chester, he 





68 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


should insist on James Manuel for a ferryman, not mind 
how dirty his boat may be, ask enough questions to keep 
the talk going and look as though he believes every word 
he hears. And if he does not have one of the times of his 
life, he should never be permitted to travel other than in 
the soft embraces of a Pullman car. 

Chester is a summer resort, beautifully situated and 
all that, but I have a grudge against Chester and shall say 
no good word for it. My lunch consisted of a few crackers 
and apples procured at Martins River, a sawmill growth; 
the train for Halifax left Chester at 5:35 o’clock, arriving 
about 8 p. m. I dropped into the Lovett House about 4:30 
o’clock for a bite to eat. The proprietor was not to be 
found, only a crabbed suffragette sort of woman who did 
not propose to take any trouble for strangers, and with 
the statement that the waitress was out, she refused to 
move a hand herself, though the tables were set and the 
labor involved but trifling. 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 69 


HALIFAX AND THE EVANGELINE COUNTRY. 

The walking is over; in order to spend a day in the 
Evangeline country the railroad must do the speeding here¬ 
after and I must omit St. Margarets Bay and all the in¬ 
teresting country to Halifax. I should prefer to remain 
a night at Peggys Cove in the hope that I too might see the 
ghost of the Teaser, and there is Sambro, often mentioned 
in the history of early times, and Ketch Harbor sound* 
attractive, as does many another spot that holds out invi¬ 
tation to the wanderer. 

It can be taken as an axiom that anything different 
from that which one is used to is singular; hence, when I 
pass through a country that is everywhere riddled with 
glacial boulders of all sizes and, in a distance of nearly 
two hundred miles, see only one stone fence, and that but a 
short piece, it seems odd to me, used to such things, that at 
least the smaller stones are not so disposed of. Another 
singular matter is the lack of stone farm houses: not one 
did I see in all my journeyings, when frequently all the 
stone required could be gathered within a hundred yards 
of its site. Had the Dutch settled in these parts it would 
have been quite different. 

Halifax is a nice little city but, from my point of view, 
not worth an entire day of an all too short vacation. An¬ 
other time I should be inclined to cut out both Yarmouth 





70 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


and Halifax and lay the time out dreaming the length of 
some country road or drifting along the edge of one of the 
beautiful bays. 

The histories tell us that Halifax was settled in 1746 
at the solicitation of the New England colonies, in order to 
crowd out the French, who were inclined to use the harbor 
as a naval base from which to harry said colonies. The 
extensive fortifications on Citadel Hill are the pride of 
Nova Scotia, but there is no attempt to make the hill at¬ 
tractive outwardly. It is merely a rough pasture lot hill¬ 
side, crossed by wandering footpaths with a few uninter¬ 
esting cannon and fortifications in sight at the summit. 

Dalhousie College is a monument to the War of 1812. 
It seems that at that time certain patriotic Nova Scotians 
moved over the borders into the eastern section of Maine, 
and the inhabitants thereof, in order to continue their life 
of ease and luxury, cheerfully took the oath of allegiance 
to the British crown. The customs duties collected at the 
port of Castine were kept when the land was surrendered 
at the close of the war, and this money was known as the 
“Castine Fund.” After much debate as to what should 
be done with it, the entire amount was used for the en¬ 
dowment of Dalhousie College. 

St. George’s Church is interesting from the fact, if it 
is a fact, that the building was erected in circular form in 
order that there might be no corners in which the Devi] 
could hatch mischief for such idle hands as might come 
within the holy precincts, it would thus appear that those 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 71 


who wish to avoid the machinations of the evil one should 
avoid dark corners. 

I took up my abode in the King Edward Hotel because 
it was near the depot. This was satisfactory in most re¬ 
spects. The head waiter did not fill his job very full, hut 
much can be forgiven any hotel that places before its pa¬ 
trons that dear delight which the King Edward calls “pie,” 
a rich stew of some fruit on which is placed a square of 
rather thick, but very light and fluffy pastry. It is more 
after the manner of some of the old Astor House “deep 
dish” confections than any other that I know of, but, in 
the language of the late Mr. Noah Webster, has even those 
skinned a mile, all due to the remarkably light, flaky na¬ 
ture of the pastry and exceeding richness of the cooked 
fruit. 

In the Chronicle office, Halifax, I met with another case 
of Nova Scotian courtesy. Having been informed that 
the paper had been publishing a series of articles on the 
South Shore recently, I called to ascertain whether they 
could he readily found, and saw an editor who kindly put 
one of his young ladies at the task, and she, after some 
searching, brought copies of the proper dates to me, and it 
was all done with a ready willingness and a smile that 
plainly meant she was glad to be of service. Why the 
boys up here allow such girls to remain single after they 
are sixteen can only be explained by the possible fact that 
all the girls are much the same: such little experience as 
I have had leads me to think this the probable explanation. 

A morning train from Halifax put me in the “Evange- 





72 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


line” country by ten o’clock. I had hoped for a day in 
Truro in order to thank in person T. S. Patillo, who was 
kind enough to answer my written questions with good 
advice as to the route best suited to my wishes, advice 
which I followed with great satisfaction to myself. That I 
did not see him is, however, wholly his own fault, in that he 
suggested such an attractive course that I could not for¬ 
sake the country of his selecting one moment earlier than 
must be. 

Wolfville is the usual headquarters of those who wish 
to see Grand-Pre, and there I found John Frederick Her- 
bin, the only descendant of the Acadians living in the 
locality. He has made a study of the expulsion and the 
causes which led to it, and claims that the poem i i Evan¬ 
geline ’ 9 is a remarkably correct page of history. 

The following facts are taken from his book on the 
subject:— 

Acadia was first settled in 1605, though it had been 
known to French fishermen and traders since 1504. 

Acadia, or Cadie or Kaddy, is a Micmac Indian terminal 
meaning the place of; that is, a region, field, land, etc. 

In 1636 dikes began to be used on the salt marshes. 
About 1675 the French first settled in the Grand-Pre 
neighborhood. The first inhabitants came from the west of 
France—a country of marshes. 

In 1704 Col. Benjamin Church left Boston to ravage 
the coast. At Minas (this is part of the Minas country) he 
cut the dikes, destroying the crops. He destroyed three vil¬ 
lages and burned many houses. 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 73 


In 1710 the English came into final possession of this 
country, but the French never lost the hope of some day 
regaining it. However, the Acadians, who by treaty right 
could leave the country if they wished, prepared in 1713-14 
to do so, but this would have stripped the country of in¬ 
habitants and cattle and have left the English garrisons in 
a sad predicament for their daily bread, and consequently 
they by one pretext and another, managed to prevent it. 
Up to 1730 every effort was made to compel the French to 
take the oath of allegiance to the English Government, but 
they “were remarkably faithful to the government” 
(French). 

In 1720 they again asked permission to leave, but were 
prevented from doing so. 

In 1730 they took the oath of allegiance, being exempted 
from taking up arms against French or Indians. From 
this date they were known as French Neutrals. 

As an indication of their feeling in 1744, when other 
French attempted unsuccessfully to force them into a po¬ 
sition antagonistic to the English, they responded in part: 
“We live under a mild and tranquil government, and we 
have every reason to be faithful to it .’ 9 

In 1749 the Acadians were called on to take the oath 
without restriction or forfeit all their rights and posses¬ 
sions. 

In 1750 they were pleading for permission to leave the 
country. 

“They bore insult and indignity for forty years in a 
vain hope that a time would come when they would be 





74 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


finally secure on the lands their fathers had taken from 
the sea and made beautiful and rich beyond any other in 
America.’ 9 

The expulsion was the work of Governor Charles Law¬ 
rence, who is characterized as the most infamous of all the 
governors of Nova Scotia. “It was done without the sanc¬ 
tion of the English Government , 99 whose “orders forbid¬ 
ding this action were received too late to prevent it.” 

All their arms had been seized; their priests and 
archives carried off. 

Lawrence concealed his purpose from the English Gov¬ 
ernment until too late for its intervention; he even de¬ 
ceived his own Lords of Trade at Halifax. 

The male inhabitants were summoned to meet at the 
church at Grand-Pre, “to hear the king’s orders.” Four 
hundred and eighteen men gathered in the church. No 
suspicion of danger had entered their minds up to the mo¬ 
ment when they were notified “That your Lands & Tene¬ 
ments, Cattle of all Kinds and Live Stock of all Sorts are 
Forfeited to the Crown with all other your Effects Saving 
your money and Household Goods, and you your Selves to 
be removed from this his Province.” They were then de¬ 
clared prisoners. 

The expulsion was conceived in sin and carried out in 
iniquity, its sole purpose being plunder, as the country 
and wealth of the Acadians would then fall to the Eng¬ 
lish. Lawrence himself is accused of profiting greatly. 

In other words, it was a plain case of highway robbery, 
the only excuse being trumped up charges against the in- 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 75 


habitants to the effect that they were plotting against the 
English. These appear to have had no foundation in fact, 
as has been amply proved by recent discoveries in the 
archives of England and France. Under such circum¬ 
stances it was one of the most brutal cases of rapine, even 
for those rough times, that can be found in history. 

The little basin, known as Wolfville Harbor, offered my 
best opportunity for noting the tremendous rise and fall 
of the tide, though the basin itself is not deep enough to 
show the extremes. Just outside, the greatest difference 
between high and low water, the extremes only occurring 
in spring and fall, is 55 feet 6 inches. But every full or 
new moon there is a high tide that comes within a very few 
feet of these figures. While interesting to see once, the 
vast expanse of yellow mud and the thick muddy water 
which surges back and forth destroy the beauty of the 
waterside; its novelty is the only attraction. 

For my ride to Grand-Pre I asked for a talkative 
driver who knew the country and its story, and was given 
one who filled my soul with great content. 

Before arriving at the points of interest he told of two 
ghosts seen by his father when a young married man—he 
himself, of course, does not believe in ghosts, though it is 
hard to explain their appearance to others. One brilliant, 
moonlight night, when the ground was covered with snow, 
father, while on his way to convoy his wife home from a 
neighbor’s in Wolfville, saw two men come out of the woods 
and pass through the fence to the road, neither climbing 
over it nor letting down the bars, but as a puff of smoke 





76 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


might pass. These started down the road a short distance 
ahead of him, but made no noise on the hard, frozen snow, 
while his shoes made the orthodox crunching sound as 
shoes should on flesh and blood feet. He even stopped a 
moment in order to assure himself of their quiet progress. 
Whether he moved at a lively pace or slow, the figures 
kept the same distance ahead of him, and even when he 
broke into a run he was unable to overtake them. At last 
they turned in toward a house, went up to the front door 
and disappeared. Not having any fear of ghosts, father 
followed, but found the door locked. He then passed 
around to the back, to find the door there locked as well, 
made some effort to arouse the people, but without success, 
and finally went on his way. At this time a man lay sick 
in the house who eventually died, and the ghost-seer always 
believed that these had something to do with that event, 
though unable to surmise how one man could have two 
ghosts, as this was long before the days of Dr. Jekyl and 
Mr. Hyde. It seems highly probable that the sick man had 
a double personality, and that he was entitled to these two 
spirits, who were identical in appearance and bearing. 
This is the first time, so far as my knowledge goes, that 
such a circumstance has occurred, but the more one thinks 
on the subject the more reasonable does it seem. 

At first we drove out on high land overlooking the 
Gaspereau Valley, a sight well calculated to please the 
lover of the beautiful. This valley is a noted apple grow¬ 
ing region, shipping about $60,000 worth of the fruit dur¬ 
ing a normal year. Apples and potatoes are the chief 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 77 


product of this part of the country, and my driver stated 
that the apple growers are prosperous and that few of the 
orchards are mortgaged. All fruit has been shipped to 
England heretofore, but the present Democratic free trade 
antics of the United States will probably result in much of 
it being sent to the nearer market to the detriment of its 
apple growers; let us hope that they were among those who 
helped mount the schoolmaster on the donkey’s back at 
the late election, and that they will but receive their de¬ 
serts. More talk on this subject might be regarded by the 
powers that be as apple-sauce, and in the interests of har¬ 
mony we will desist from further comment. 

Near the mouth of the Gaspereau River is the historic 
landing place where the deportation of the helpless Aca- 
dians was consummated. 

After following down the river for a space we turned 
to the left and mounted another hill, from the summit of 
which one may look down on the village of Grand-Pre 
(great prairie). Before beginning the descent we passed 
the Scotch Covenanter Church, erected in 1804, which still 
retains its box pews and high pulpit. 

At the foot of the hill we came out on the meadows 
which were salved from the sea the better part of three 
hundred years ago. Here stood the chapel in which the 
Acadian men were held prisoners until they could be placed 
on board the transports; the locality over which Long¬ 
fellow has woven such a spell of romance. 

The site of the chapel, priest’s house and burial ground 





78 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


was originally an island in the salt marsh; now it is merely 
a gentle elevation on the edge of the meadow. 

The Evangeline well is presumably the well attached to 
the priest’s house. After the deportation it was filled up 
and plowed over for many years. Twenty-five years ago it 
was opened and an interesting lot of Acadian implements 
were found in the bottom. 

The burial ground is marked by a large cross built of 
stone used in the foundation of the church and the priest’s 
house and in other Acadian cellars. Beneath it are three 
graves and about it rest the remains of those who died in 
Grand-Pre during its occupation by the people, about 
eighty years. 

Just north of the church site stands a row of willows set 
out by the people of Evangeline’s day. These have stood 
probably two hundred years, and shielded the Acadian 
Chapel and the priest’s house from the north winds of 
winter until 1755 when, after the removal of the Acadians, 
the buildings were burned. 

On returning to Wolfville I again interviewed Mr. Her- 
bin, and among other items gathered the following account 
of a legend which has to do with one of the nearby villages: 

Immediately after the expulsion a considerable number 
of those who had escaped the clutches of the British, gath¬ 
ered at what is now known as East Minas, on high ground 
from which a large territory could be overlooked, in the 
belief that French ships would come for them. It is 
claimed that they had a priest with them, though Mr. Her- 
bin regards this as doubtful, as the priests had been re- 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 79 


moved from the country during the summer in anticipation 
of the removal of the inhabitants later. 

These are said to have erected a small chapel with walls 
about six feet high and steep pitched roof. Here they 
worshipped during the winter, but in time were discovered 
by the English and forced to again flee. So sudden was 
their departure that they were unable to carry with them 
the silver service used in the chapel, which had been 
brought from some other point, and this was hastily placed 
for safe keeping in a spring of water conveniently near. 

Many years passed, the chapel had crumbled and the 
spring dried up, when several men appeared in the locality 
and, after making much inquiry, located a great tree, the 
stump of which is still to be seen, that was standing in the 
days of the French. Taking a line by this and another 
mark of which they appeared to have some record, they 
passed into the forest, but were unable to find the site of 
the spring, all signs of which having long since disappeared. 

Later three men, who had learned the object of the un¬ 
successful treasure-hunters, instituted a search on their 
own account. One of them, named Bishop, stumbled on a 
slight depression which he believed to be the dry bed of 
the spring, and began to dig, but immediately the heavens 
darkened and strange noises issued from the surrounding 
woods, while half-seen shapes threatened to pounce upon 
him from the nearby trees. 

About this time he concluded not to be selfish over his 
discovery, but to call in his friends that all might share 
alike, and commenced a search for them with zealous haste. 





80 THE SOUTH COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA 


But when they endeavored to return to the spot he was not 
able to locate it; the earth had been replaced and leaves 
and sticks scattered over it as formerly, and even the trees 
had been shifted about until the search was hopeless. 





LAND OF ROMANCE AND MYSTERY 81 


EPILOGUE. 

The novelty of the tides having worn off, the immense 
mud flats left by the outgoing water and the railroad ride 
from Wolfville to Yarmouth convinced me that I had fol¬ 
lowed good advice in selecting the south shore for my jaunt. 
Not that the Annapolis Valley is other than beautiful and 
well kept, it is both, and the Fundy tides are interesting, 
but to travel with day after day their muddied waters and 
wastes of yellow flats cannot be compared with the sparkle 
of the clean waters of the Atlantic and its rock-encrusted 
"coast line, innumerable harbors and occasional beautiful 
stretches of wave-swept sand beach. 





INDEX 


A 


Acadia, Origin of name.72 

Acadian expulsion, A story of.. 66 

American privateers loot Lock- 

port . 36 

Argyle . 12 

B 

Barrington . 17 

Bradford, Capt. Bartlett. 44 

Burchtown . 26 

C 

Campbell, Lord William, on 

Nova Scotia, 1767. 4 

Cape Lahave.63 

Cape Sable .22 

Champlain describes the coast.. 6 

Chester . 68 

Churchill, Josiah.36 

Cobb, Capt. Sylvanus. 42 

“Cod-flakes” .38 

Cole, Benjamin . 43 

Conrad, Jason. 49 

“Cow-reeve” . 30 

Crescent Beach. 65 

Crowell, William B.21 


D 

Doggett, Gerb. 45 

Dory sailing. 60 

Dublin shore. 55 


E 

Etienne, Claude Turgis de 
Sainte . 22 


Evangeline country. 72 

First South. 61 

F 

Fort Point. 66 

Freeman, Captain Nathaniel, 

Ghost of. 44 

French expulsion from Nova 

Scotia . 72 

French shore. 13 

Fundy tides, The. 75 

G 

Garretson, Freeborn. 18 

Gaspereau Valley. 76 

Getsans Point. 56 

Ghost ship.51, 65 

Ghosts.44, 51, 52, 63, 75, 79 

Girls of Nova Scotia, The_47, 71 

“Gloucester” of Canada. 61 

Grand-Pre . 74 

H 

Halifax . 69 

Herbin, John Frederick.72 

Hunts Point. 40 

J 

Jordan . 31 

K 

Kempton, Jason. 48 


Kempton House, Port Medway.. 48 
King Edward Hotel, Halifax.... 71 











































INDEX 


L 

La Heve.:.41, 

Latour House. 

Legend of early times. 

Liverpool . 

Lock, Dr. Jonathan. 

Lockport . 

Loyalist refugees from New 

York .. 

Lunenburg . 


M 

McNutt, Col. Alexander. 

Mack, S. E. 

Mahone Bay . 

Manuel, James E. 

Mersey House, Liverpool 


N 

New Hillcrest Hotel, Lockport.. 

New Jerusalem.. 

Nine Mile Woods. 

Norsemen, Relic of. 

Nova Scotian Spirit, The. 

5, 12, 21, 41, 47, 61, 63, 

0 

Oak Island.. 

Oak Park. 


P 

Perkins, Col. Simeon. 

Petite Reviere. 

Port Latour. 

Port Lomeron (or L’Omeroy).. 

Port Medway. 

Port Mouton. 

Port Rossignal.. 

Pubnico . 


R 

“Raged Islands’* . 36 

Riverport . 60 

Roseway River . 26 

S 

Saint Louis, Fort. 22 

Shelburne . 27 

Silk socks better than cotton.. 19 

Smuggler, A. 45 

Solid Rock.21, 24 


Sperry House, Petite Reviere... 61 

Spirit of Nova Scotia, The. 

5, 12, 21, 41, 47, 61, 63, 71 


T 

“Teaser,” The . 65 

Thanksgiving Day in Nova Scotia 32 

Tour, Claude de la. 22 

Tour, Charles de la. 22 

Tourist Committee. 11 

V 

Villagedale . 21 

Voglers Cove. 49 

W 

Warman, Charles . 41 

West Dublin. 65 

Western Shore. 64 

Wilde, J. N. 48 

Wolfville . 72 

Wolfville Harbor. 76 

Wood, Samuel, Rev. 17 

Y 

Yarmouth . 11 

“Young Teaser,” The. 66 


58 

21 

67 

41 

35 

35 

27 

60 

27 

41 

63 

64 

41 

35 

27 

14 

11 

71 

64 

15 

41 

61 

20 

22 

47 

39 

41 

13 





















































» 


















































* 



IT IS Commonly Rumored that death and Taxes are the only certainties placed 
before the inhabitants of this Vale of Tears. But after Mature reflection it has 
become the firm Conviction of this Traveler that the End of a pleasant Excursion 
is quite as certain as either, though not quite as sad. Be this as it Ma v , as ail 
Orthodox story books have it, there can be no Doubt in the Mind of any who 
has given due Heed unto the Matters herein set forth, that this particular trip has 
reached a Definite End. 


LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 





































































